payoff

1 of 3

noun

pay·​off ˈpā-ˌȯf How to pronounce payoff (audio)
1
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

payoff

2 of 3

adjective

: yielding results in the final test : decisive

pay off

3 of 3

verb

paid off; paying off; pays off

transitive verb

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

intransitive verb

: 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 See More
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
My mortgage payoff story: My husband and I paid off the house in the spring of 2023 thanks to making extra payments and taking advantage of a mortgage recast. Michelle Singletary, Washington Post, 15 Nov. 2023 But while Jones and Foxx have a predictably winning odd-couple rapport (their bonding over a classic R&B song sets up a beaut of a payoff), the movie happily has something more interesting in mind than an obvious comic clash of cultures and generations. Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times, 10 Oct. 2023 There’s unexpected and indirect payoff between the Rescuer and Persecutor, too. Neha Sangwan, Fortune Well, 26 Sep. 2023 Psyche is not scheduled to enter orbit about its target asteroid until August 2029, which feels like a painfully long time to wait for a payoff. Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 30 Oct. 2023 Those are the shortcuts this speedy focaccia recipe allows, but the payoff is a chewy, airy round with a crispy crust and a nice (but not overpowering) olive oil flavor. Matt Brooks, Washington Post, 26 Oct. 2023 Before the Great Depression, much shorter-term loans were the standard—usually five- or six-year payoff periods and balloon payments (which required you to pay off the full balance at the end of the term). Aly J. Yale, wsj.com, 26 Oct. 2023 Having tried and failed to resuscitate the 2015 nuclear deal with its elaborate web of restrictions and oversight of Iran’s nuclear program, Washington embraced a Plan B of payoffs and informal understandings. Suzanne Maloney, Foreign Affairs, 10 Oct. 2023 The Folklore sequence is equally powerful — these are songs originally made and heard in the isolation of quarantine, so the stage pageantry has a big emotional payoff. Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 13 Oct. 2023
Verb
The agreements helped fulfill the White House’s goal for the meeting — prove to voters that Biden’s dedication to personal diplomacy is paying off. Chris Megerian, Fortune, 16 Nov. 2023 My mortgage payoff story: My husband and I paid off the house in the spring of 2023 thanks to making extra payments and taking advantage of a mortgage recast. Michelle Singletary, Washington Post, 15 Nov. 2023 The strategy has already paid off in West Virginia. Shane Goldmacher, New York Times, 10 Nov. 2023 In this week’s memo, the DNC points out their focus on Virginia did indeed pay off. Gary Grumbach, NBC News, 9 Nov. 2023 California Renting your home as a film location may pay off big time. Jonah Valdez, Los Angeles Times, 8 Nov. 2023 Its efficiency efforts paid off, as Pepsi hiked its earnings guidance in 2014 and 2015. Kristin Broughton, WSJ, 6 Nov. 2023 This past quarter, Narasimhan said, was a testament that the company’s efforts to rebuild that relationship were paying off. Paolo Confino, Fortune, 3 Nov. 2023 But the competition is stiff and there is no sure-fire metric to guarantee that following the path pays off. Tom Roland, Billboard, 1 Nov. 2023 See More

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.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1905, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

1932, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1607, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of payoff was in 1607

Dictionary Entries Near payoff

Cite this Entry

“Payoff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/payoff. Accessed 29 Nov. 2023.

Kids Definition

payoff

1 of 2 noun
pay·​off
ˈpā-ˌȯf
1
2
: the last and most interesting part of an incident
the payoff of a story

pay off

2 of 2 verb
(ˈ)pā-ˈȯf
1
: to pay in full
pay off a mortgage
2
: to produce a profit
investments that pay off

Legal Definition

payoff

1 of 2 noun
pay·​off ˈpā-ˌȯf How to pronounce payoff (audio)
1
: the act or an instance of paying someone off : bribe compare kickback
2
: the act of paying a debt or creditor in full
would release the lien upon the payoff of the balance

pay off

2 of 2 transitive verb
1
: to pay (a debt or credit) in full
the loan was paid off
2
: bribe

More from Merriam-Webster on payoff

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