prepaid

prepaid — adjective

1. describes a product, service, or account whose cost has been paid before it is d

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

describes a product, service, or account whose cost has been paid before it is delivered or used

Example

Iris bought a prepaid SIM card for her trip to Japan.

prepaid + noun (product purchased before use)

The apartment tenants pay a single prepaid fee for water and electricity each month.

be + prepaid; prepaid + noun (fee)

Common collocations
  • prepaid card
  • prepaid plan
  • prepaid fee
  • prepaid envelope
  • prepaid electricity meter
  • prepaid SIM card
  • prepaid voucher
  • prepaid account
Synonyms
  • paid in advance

    a phrasal expression rather than a single adjective; slightly more formal and less common in everyday speech

  • paid up

    implies all amounts owed have been settled; often used for memberships or subscriptions

Antonyms
  • postpaid

    describes a service billed after use, the opposite of prepaid; common in mobile phone plans

  • unpaid

    describes a bill or balance that has not yet been settled

Grammar Patterns

prepaid + noun

be + prepaid

Usage Note

Used most often before a noun (e.g. prepaid card, prepaid plan, prepaid fee). Unlike some adjectives that only appear before the noun, prepaid also works after a linking verb: The plan is prepaid.

Common Mistakes

I need to prepaid my phone bill before the end of the month.
I need to prepay my phone bill before the end of the month.
'prepaid' is an adjective (describes something already paid for); 'prepay' is the verb form needed here.

Word family

  • prepay
    verbB1
  • prepayment
    nounB1

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Prepaid and paid in advance are close synonyms, though paid in advance is a phrasal expression rather than a single adjective and is somewhat more formal. Prepaid contrasts with postpaid, which describes a billing model where payment comes after the service is used — most common in mobile phone plans (a postpaid plan charges at the end of each month). Settled is broader: it means a bill or debt has been fully paid and no amount remains outstanding, but it does not carry the sense of payment before use. For example: 'I bought a prepaid data package before arriving in Seoul' (payment precedes usage) vs. 'I checked my account and saw the invoice was settled' (payment happened, but timing is unspecified).

prepaid ↗paid in advancepostpaidsettled ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • prepaid card
  • prepaid plan
  • prepaid fee
  • prepaid envelope
  • prepaid meter
  • prepaid voucher
  • prepaid account
  • prepaid postage

Adverbs

  • fully prepaid
  • already prepaid

Phrases

  • prepaid in full

Prepositions

  • prepaid for

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Formed in English from the prefix pre- ('before') and the past participle paid, from the verb pay. The prefix pre- traces back to Latin prae- meaning 'before'. The word prepaid first appeared in the late 19th century, originally in the context of postal fees and railway freight charges, and later expanded to telecommunications, utilities, and consumer services.