pay the piper
English · Thesaurus
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pay the piper
Where it comes from
Sense 1 is from the English phrase who pays the piper calls the tune; sense 2 may allude to the pied piper.
verb pays the piper · paying the piper · paid the piper
-
To pay expenses for something, and thus be in a position to be in control.
Those that pay the piper must command the tune.
Similar: pay the fiddler
-
To pay a monetary or other debt or experience unfavorable consequences, especially when the payment or consequences are inevitable or a result of something one has enjoyed.
[T]he very constitution of society is based upon this volunteer system of paying the piper. Honest men pay the piper for rogues, and full purses for empty ones.
Similar: pay the price, pay the penalty
Talk about this word "pay the piper." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/pay%20the%20piper. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. pay the piper. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/pay%20the%20piper "pay the piper." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/pay%20the%20piper.Cite this
@misc{pay_the_piper_2026,
title = {pay the piper},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/pay%20the%20piper},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
