payback

noun pay·back \ ˈpā-ˌbak \

Updated on: 17 Apr 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

The rental agency had previously sued Michael Warren over the ad and an employee told detectives Michael Warren and another employee had pulled the ruse to steal the car as payback.

— terry spencer, Fox News, "Prosecutors: DNA ties suspected killer clown to getaway car," 13 Apr. 2018
The rental agency had previously sued Michael Warren over the ad and an employee told detectives Michael Warren and another employee had pulled the ruse to steal the car as payback.

— CBS News, ""Killer clown" case: DNA ties suspect to getaway car, prosecutors say," 13 Apr. 2018
In effect, that means putting in all the effort required for organic crops with none of the payback.

— The Economist, "Corn beef," 12 Apr. 2018
As payback, Painter extorted booze from the new recruits in exchange for protection from bullies.

— michael slenske, latimes.com, "The rise and fall and rise of Patrick Painter," 27 Mar. 2018
That action was widely seen as payback after nearly every member of Russia's track and field team was banned from the 2016 Olympics.

— ellen nakashima, chicagotribune.com, "Russian spies hacked the Olympics and tried to make it look like North Korea did it, U.S. officials say," 25 Feb. 2018
Even so, there are some here who both loathe Trump and his immigration policies and criticize Schaaf for her brazen act, fearing retribution from a president with a lavish history of payback.

— mark z. barabak, latimes.com, "Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf is having a moment. But will a war with Trump help or hurt the city?," 19 Mar. 2018
Arsenal would dearly love to get payback by swooping for Moreno, who has played for Spain Under-16s and is the top scorer in his age group.

— SI.com, "Gunners Preparing Summer Swoop for Teenage Barcelona Star as Revenge for McGuane Loss," 8 Feb. 2018
We're left to question whether the application question is the district's attempt at payback.

— jason williams, Cincinnati.com, "PX: Why has anti-tax group COAST been singled out in school board questionnaire?," 24 Jan. 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

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