payback

noun pay·back \ ˈpā-ˌbak \

|Updated on: 6 Aug 2018

Definition of payback

1 : requital

2 : a return on an investment equal to the original capital outlay; also : the period of time elapsed before an investment is recouped

See payback defined for English-language learners

Examples of payback in a Sentence

They beat our team last year, so we've got to beat them this year as payback.
we are hoping to get payback for the humiliating defeat we suffered at the hands of our rivals during our last matchup

Recent Examples of payback from the Web

Some believe Trump’s decision was payback of sorts.

— michael mccann, SI.com, "Winners and Losers from the Supreme Court's Ruling on Sports Gambling," 14 May 2018
Fleet operators are very aware of the bottom line and can be persuaded to try new technologies if there’s financial payback.

— jack stewart, WIRED, "Sweden's Electric Robo-Truck Is Made for Life in the Forest," 12 July 2018
With Marriott points worth less than a penny, earning two points per dollar spent puts the payback on the SPG Amex at less than 2%.

— scott mccartney, WSJ, "Changes to Starwood’s Popular Rewards Card Vex Travelers," 11 July 2018
For now, China’s payback promise is largely symbolic, some industry watchers argue, since the first round of tariffs from the United States are expected to create more of an economic splash than a tidal wave.

— danielle paquette, Washington Post, "China vows to save its companies from trade war pain — with cash," 10 July 2018
Republicans saw it as justified payback for a similar Democratic move in 2013 on lower court nominees.

— New York Times, "Denied a Filibuster, Democrats Eye Other Tactics in Supreme Court Fight," 28 June 2018
The facts are there to be measured, even for those who believe the cost of an education exceeds the long-term payback.

— christopher quinn, ajc, "Costs of starting and not finishing college are high," 23 June 2018
Is the extreme baked good a birthday cake fail or an attempt at payback?

— refinery29.com, "About That Horrifying Cake Kylie Jenner Got Travis Scott For His Birthday," 29 Apr. 2018
As coaching salaries continue to escalate, so have the size of contractual paybacks designed to cushion their replacement costs.

— tim sullivan, The Courier-Journal, "Louisville will pay Xavier $2.9M to buy out Chris Mack's contract - plus cover his tax bill," 13 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'payback.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of payback

1718

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

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payback Synonyms

Synonyms

reprisal, requital, retaliation, retribution, revenge, vengeance;

Near Antonyms

clemency, grace, leniency, lenity, mercy;

forgiveness, pardon, remission;

castigation, chastisement, correction;

desert(s), discipline, nemesis, penalty, punishment, wrath;

PAYBACK Defined for English Language Learners

payback

noun

Definition of payback for English Language Learners

: punishment for something that was done in the past
: an amount of money that you receive after investing in something and that is equal to or greater than the amount of money that you originally invested
: the amount of time that passes before invested money is returned or before money that is owed is paid