payoff

1 of 3

noun

pay·​off ˈpā-ˌȯf 

1

a

: profit, reward

b

: retribution

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

Synonyms

Noun

• earnings
• gain
• lucre
• net
• proceeds
• profit
• return

Verb

• ante (up)
• balance
• clear
• discharge
• foot
• liquidate
• meet
• pay
• pay up
• pony up
• quit
• recompense
• settle
• spring (for)
• stand

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

Noun

Some recipes are involved, but then the payoff is outsize. —Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2025

The Cultural Toll The U.S. may still be the ultimate prize, but for many international artists and their teams, the cost of chasing it is starting to outweigh the payoff. —Alex Ashley, Rolling Stone, 9 Apr. 2025

Verb

Filing for bankruptcy can help an individual liquidate their assets to pay off their debt or create a repayment plan. —Alain Sherter, CBS News, 22 Apr. 2025

Importantly, this administrative garnishment can continue until the defaulted loan is paid off or removed from default. —Shahar Ziv, Forbes.com, 22 Apr. 2025

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

Rhymes for payoff

• ashraf
• checkoff
• cutoff
• falloff
• handoff
• kickoff
• layoff
• liftoff
• markoff
• markov
• playoff
• runoff

Kids Definition

payoff

1 of 2 noun

pay·​off

ˈpā-ˌȯf

1

: profit entry 1 sense 2

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 

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