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
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
Jason Anderson, Sacbee.com, 25 Oct. 2025
The point is, to me, Kuhn’s hapless federal felonies seem a lot less significant than grabbing $7,000 in cash payoffs in the ladies’ room at City Hall.
—Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 24 Oct. 2025
Andrew Unterberger, Billboard, 17 Aug. 2025
Katie Thornton, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2025
These short-term loans charge no interest as long as they're paid off within six months.
—The Npr Network, NPR, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for payoff
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Noun
He was named an All-Star and an All-NBA Third Team selection while leading the Kings to their first playoff appearance in 2023, ending the longest payoff drought in NBA history after 16 consecutive losing seasons.
—Jason Anderson, Sacbee.com, 25 Oct. 2025
The point is, to me, Kuhn’s hapless federal felonies seem a lot less significant than grabbing $7,000 in cash payoffs in the ladies’ room at City Hall.
—Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
Not wrong for much of the last three decades — but Saturday night’s gig, and all the joyous revelry surrounding it, showed why the Live ’25 Tour has been payoff enough for none of them to look back in anger at any of it.
—Andrew Unterberger, Billboard, 17 Aug. 2025
Verb
The experiments were paying off.
—Katie Thornton, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2025
These short-term loans charge no interest as long as they're paid off within six months.
—The Npr Network, NPR, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for payoff
Cite this Entry
“Payoff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/payoff. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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
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