pay the rent

1. Literally, to pay for the expenses related to one's accommodation, such as rent, utilities, etc. I'm so broke this month that I can hardly pay the rent. If you want to keep living here, you'll need to start paying your share of the rent.

2. To be the primary source of income with which one pays for one's expenses. Being an actor won't necessarily pay the rent, honey, so I think you should study something else in college. Our app is becoming popular enough that might actually start paying the rent soon.

3. To raise funds as reparations for Indigenous Australians. Primarily heard in Australia. Protestors who view "Australia Day," which commemorates the first British settlement in Australia, as "Invasion Day" have been urging people to pay the rent.