# pay the piper

> English word · Verb

## Definitions
1. To pay expenses for something, and thus be in a position to be in control.
2. 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.

## Etymology
Sense 1 is from the English phrase who pays the piper calls the tune; sense 2 may allude to the pied piper.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-09-03.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/pay-the-piper