bought

Bought is the past tense and past participle of the verb buy, used to indicate that someone obtained goods or services in exchange for money or other compensation, resulting in ownership. It appears in sentences such as “She bought a new bicycle” or “The house was bought last year.” As a past participle, bought can form perfect tenses (“have bought,” “had bought”) and the passive voice (“The car was bought by the buyer”).

Etymology and form: The verb buy has long roots in English and other Germanic languages; bought is an irregular past tense form rather than a simple -ed ending. This irregularity is a common feature of English verbs that express purchase or exchange. The form remains the same across subjects in the past and in the past participle constructions.

Usage notes: Bought is widely used in everyday language, spanning casual and formal contexts. It often implies completed ownership through a purchase. In more formal writing, synonyms such as purchased or acquired may be used, depending on tone and emphasis. The term is distinct from words that describe obtaining without payment (e.g., "obtained") or from phrases that emphasize the act of selling (e.g., "bought and sold" as a transaction sequence).

Contexts: Bought appears across consumer transactions, including retail, online shopping, real estate, and services. It is commonly followed by price-related details (cost, price paid), source (where bought from), or purpose (why bought). Common collocations include bought for, bought from, bought back, have bought, was bought.

In summary, bought marks a completed purchase and ownership event in English, serving as the standard past tense and past participle of buy, with broad applicability across contexts and registers.