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Is "pay a visit to" just a more formal and emphatic way of saying "visit"?

  • Tomorrow I will visit my parents.
  • Tomorrow I will pay a visit to my parents.
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  • I'm not sure what you think you mean by "more formal". These are just two ways of saying the same thing, and they really have nothing to do with levels of "formality" as I understand it.
    – FumbleFingers
    Commented May 3, 2017 at 17:00
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    I agree with FumbleFingers. If there is a nuance, it is that "pay a visit" might be more associated with something that is a more unusual or special event. "Visit" can be used with something routine or commonplace. "Pay a visit" tends to refer to something out of the ordinary.
    – fixer1234
    Commented May 3, 2017 at 17:04

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The word pay in "pay a visit" can imply some kind of urgency, need, obligation, or recompense.

I just chipped my tooth on something hard in that salad, it might have been a piece of walnut shell. I'm going to have to pay the dentist a visit.

If those bullies have been stealing your lunch money, we're going to have to pay the principal a visit.

After three pints of beer, I really have to pay the restroom a visit.

You've been away for more than a year. Even though you're here only for the weekend, you should really take the time to drive out and pay granddad a visit.

Hey, Tony. The New York family has been muscling in on our territory. What say we pay them a little visit?

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In terms of being "formal", I'd actually say "visit" sounds more formal than "pay a visit to". At the very least the former is more proper English, while the latter is more of a turn of phrase.

As for "emphatic", the definition according to Google is "showing or giving emphasis; expressing something forcibly and clearly". From that, I'd say that neither phrase is more emphatic than the other.

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    why do you think that visit is "more proper English" than pay a visit.
    – Colin Fine
    Commented May 3, 2017 at 23:44
  • I would say that "pay a visit" is a colloquialism and that "visit" is in neutral register.
    – TimR
    Commented May 4, 2017 at 9:46
  • Basically what Tᴚoɯɐuo said. As a colloquialism or turn of phrase, "pay a visit" comes off as very casual. While both are correct to use, if you're trying to speak/write as textbook English as possible (like, for example, for a school essay) then it'd be better to use "visit".
    – Alexander
    Commented May 4, 2017 at 17:15

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