idiom
pay it forward
PAY it FOR-werd
peɪ ɪt ˈfɔːrwərdListen
Hear it in a clear American voice. Slow it down to catch each syllable.
Syllable breakdown
payitforward
Dictionary meaning
respond to a kindness or benefit one has received not by repaying the original giver but by performing a new act of generosity for a third party, thereby propagating goodwill through a chain of beneficence; a model of social reciprocity based on diffusion rather than direct exchange; popularised by the 2000 film Pay It Forward but the concept appears in Benjamin Franklin's letters and has deep roots in various cultural traditions of indirect reciprocity and communal generosity
People also look up
Break the ice
Brayk the ice
Hit the nail on the head
Hit the nayl on the hed
Under the weather
UN-der the WETH-er
Piece of cake
Peess of kayk
Learn one new pronunciation a day
Get a word, name or idiom like “pay it forward” in your inbox — daily or weekly, free. Unsubscribe any time.
Something wrong? Suggest a correction