pay one's way
English
Verb
pay one's way (third-person singular simple present pays one's way, present participle paying one's way, simple past and past participle paid one's way)
- Of an individual or business, to earn enough to cover one's expenses.
- 1962 December, “Dr. Beeching previews the plan for British Railways”, in Modern Railways, page 376:
- Only a year ago it would have needed a "super-Micawber" to be optimistic that the railways would once again pay their way. But it was no longer a pipe dream that B.R. could make a profit, the way to do it was now clear.
References
- “pay one's way”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–present.