1
b
2
: the act or occasion of receiving money or material gain especially as compensation or as a bribe
3
: the climax of an incident or enterprise
specifically
: the denouement of a narrative
4
: a decisive fact or factor resolving a situation or bringing about a definitive conclusion
paid off; paying off; pays off
1
a
: to pay (a debt or a creditor) in full
b
: to give all due wages to
especially
: to pay in full and discharge (an employee)
c
: bribe
2
: to inflict retribution on
3
: to allow (a thread or rope) to run off a spool or drum
: to yield returns
Synonyms
Examples of payoff in a Sentence
Noun
You'll have to work hard but there'll be a big payoff in the end.
We expected more of a payoff for all our hard work.
We made a lot of sacrifices with little payoff.
Several city officials have been accused of receiving payoffs from the company.
He lost his factory job but received a payoff and a pension.
Verb
I finally paid off the loan.
she paid off the security guard so that she could steal whatever she liked
Recent Examples on the Web
Eric Renner Brown, Billboard, 25 Apr. 2024
The upfront cost for the tooling was high, but in the long run, the payoff will be in products that are cost competitive with Asia.
—Journal Sentinel, 24 Apr. 2024
The big payoff Freshman cornerback Kanye Clark could have gone to a lesser football program, having been recruited by teams from the Mountain West and Big Sky conferences.
—Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024
But solving the mystery may bring a tremendous payoff.
—Quanta Magazine, 11 Apr. 2024
In fact, though, big expensive development projects that produce a payoff only years later are the very nature of the airplane-making business.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 10 Apr. 2024
With so little effort and such high payoff, these little egg bites stand as a reminder of how versatile these mixed frozen vegetables really are.
—Ellie Krieger, Washington Post, 27 Mar. 2024
The payoff pitch was another slider, only this time left hanging right down the middle.
—Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2024
After that payoff, Cenat kept the remaining $39,000 in cash and drove to his home in Boynton Beach.
—Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2024
Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Apr. 2024
Each of the narrative seeds planted (a leak in Linda’s apartment, a batch of peppers left in the oven too long, Astrid’s sweet tooth) pays off, yet never in an easily predictable manner.
—Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2024
Sotheby’s decision to challenge the horological status quo has paid off.
—Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 12 Apr. 2024
Their lobbying efforts paid off in 1924 when Chiricahua National Monument was established.
—Roger Naylor, The Arizona Republic, 11 Apr. 2024
An opportunity to invest more time in yourself will pay off.
—Eugenia Last, The Mercury News, 11 Apr. 2024
According to Pew Research Center, a third of millennials in their early thirties are still being bankrolled by their parents, who are paying off their everyday expenses and streaming subscriptions.
—Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 10 Apr. 2024
Under the program, municipalities issue bonds that are later paid off with future sales tax revenues generated in the project area.
—Bill Lukitsch, Kansas City Star, 9 Apr. 2024
Research shows those habits pay off with better productivity, creativity, work-life balance, and enjoying your job more.
—Colette Stallbaumer, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2024
Noun
The band had to sacrifice a degree of spontaneity to hit its marks, which surely frustrated some fans – but the magical payoff was worth it.
—Eric Renner Brown, Billboard, 25 Apr. 2024
The upfront cost for the tooling was high, but in the long run, the payoff will be in products that are cost competitive with Asia.
—Journal Sentinel, 24 Apr. 2024
The big payoff Freshman cornerback Kanye Clark could have gone to a lesser football program, having been recruited by teams from the Mountain West and Big Sky conferences.
—Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024
But solving the mystery may bring a tremendous payoff.
—Quanta Magazine, 11 Apr. 2024
In fact, though, big expensive development projects that produce a payoff only years later are the very nature of the airplane-making business.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 10 Apr. 2024
With so little effort and such high payoff, these little egg bites stand as a reminder of how versatile these mixed frozen vegetables really are.
—Ellie Krieger, Washington Post, 27 Mar. 2024
The payoff pitch was another slider, only this time left hanging right down the middle.
—Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2024
After that payoff, Cenat kept the remaining $39,000 in cash and drove to his home in Boynton Beach.
—Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2024
Verb
After that first year, borrowers may have up to 30 years to pay off the loan, though the SBA sets the repayment amount and timeline based on each borrower’s ability to repay.
—Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Apr. 2024
Each of the narrative seeds planted (a leak in Linda’s apartment, a batch of peppers left in the oven too long, Astrid’s sweet tooth) pays off, yet never in an easily predictable manner.
—Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2024
Sotheby’s decision to challenge the horological status quo has paid off.
—Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 12 Apr. 2024
Their lobbying efforts paid off in 1924 when Chiricahua National Monument was established.
—Roger Naylor, The Arizona Republic, 11 Apr. 2024
An opportunity to invest more time in yourself will pay off.
—Eugenia Last, The Mercury News, 11 Apr. 2024
According to Pew Research Center, a third of millennials in their early thirties are still being bankrolled by their parents, who are paying off their everyday expenses and streaming subscriptions.
—Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 10 Apr. 2024
Under the program, municipalities issue bonds that are later paid off with future sales tax revenues generated in the project area.
—Bill Lukitsch, Kansas City Star, 9 Apr. 2024
Research shows those habits pay off with better productivity, creativity, work-life balance, and enjoying your job more.
—Colette Stallbaumer, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'payoff.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near payoff
Cite this Entry
“Payoff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/payoff. Accessed 28 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
pay off
2 of 2 transitive verb1
: to pay (a debt or credit) in full
the loan was paid off
2
: bribe
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share