pay off

pay off

verb

Definition of PAY OFF

transitive verb

1

a : to give all due wages to; especially : to pay in full and discharge (an employee) b : to pay (a debt or a creditor) in full c : bribe

2

: to inflict retribution on

3

: to allow (a thread or rope) to run off a spool or drum

intransitive verb

: to yield returns

Examples of PAY OFF

1. <I finally paid off the loan.>
2. <she paid off the security guard so that she could steal whatever she liked>

First Known Use of PAY OFF

1710

Related to PAY OFF

Synonyms: ante up, balance, clear, discharge, foot, liquidate, meet, pay, pay up, pony up, quit, recompense, settle, spring (for), stand

Antonyms: repudiate

Related Words: fix, tamper (with); abase, debase, debauch, defile, degrade, demean, deprave, dishonor, pervert, poison, profane, prostitute, subvert, taint, warp; allure, bait, beguile, entice, lead on, lure, seduce, tempt; motivate, provoke, spur, stimulate; goad, induce; flatter, persuade; snare, trap

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Rhymes with PAY OFF

back off, beg off, bind off, blastoff, blow off, break off, bring off, brush-off, bug off, bump off, burn off, buy off, call off, cast-off, castoff, change off, charge off, checkoff, check off, Chekhov, choke off, come off, cook-off, cry off, cutoff, cut off, die-off, die off, draw off, drop-off, drop off, dust off, face-off, face off, falloff, far-off, fire off, first off, flip off, fob off, get off, give off, go off, goof-off, handoff, hand off, hands-off, haul off, head off, hold off, jump-off, kickoff, kick off, kill off, kiss-off, kiss off, knockoff, knock off, Khrushchev, laugh off, layoff, lay off, leadoff, leave off, lie off, liftoff, make off, nod off, one-off, palm off, pass off, Pavlov, pawn off, payoff, peel off, pick off, pickoff, play-off, pop off, pull off, push off, put off, rake-off, reel off, rip-off, rip off, roll-off, rub off, runoff, Sarnoff, sawed-off, seal off, sell off, sell-off, send-off, setoff, set off, show-off, show off, shrug off, shutoff, shut off, sign off, sign-off, sound off, spin-off, spin off, square off, squeeze off, standoff, stand off, stave off, straight off, strike off, swear off, takeoff, take off, Tambov, tap-off, teed off, tee off, tell off, throw off, tick off, tip-off, touch off, trade-off, turnoff, turn off, well-off, Wolof, work off, write-off, write off