1
2
as in to bribe
to influence someone with a bribe
she paid off the security guard so that she could steal whatever she liked
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in profit
the amount of money left when expenses are subtracted from the total amount received
the payoff on the investment was only about $500
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in pivotal
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of payoff
Andrew Unterberger, Billboard, 17 Aug. 2025
Colleen Kratofil, PEOPLE, 4 Oct. 2025
Conversely, most high-risk bets don’t pay off.
—David Mark, The Washington Examiner, 3 Oct. 2025
Meghan Rose, Glamour, 1 Oct. 2025
After a game full of Hawes dominating as a blocker and getting him in on 11 personnel, here’s the payoff play.
—Joe Buscaglia, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for payoff
Verb
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
Noun
Following her instincts have always paid off for her.
—Colleen Kratofil, PEOPLE, 4 Oct. 2025
Conversely, most high-risk bets don’t pay off.
—David Mark, The Washington Examiner, 3 Oct. 2025
Adjective
This is no longer about instant gratification but rather setting yourself up for a long-term payoff by making small (aligned) changes.
—Meghan Rose, Glamour, 1 Oct. 2025
After a game full of Hawes dominating as a blocker and getting him in on 11 personnel, here’s the payoff play.
—Joe Buscaglia, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for payoff
Recent Examples of Synonyms for payoff
Verb
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The state made a similar deal with the white owners of a nearby daycare that had to close due to flooding -- but ALDOT paid those property owners $165,000 for a portion of their property.—
Maia Rosenfeld,
ABC News,
1 Oct. 2025
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Typically, financial advisors are paid via commission, fees or a hybrid of the two.—
Kate Dore, CFP®, EA,Kelli Grant, CFP®,
CNBC,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In May, Coinbase revealed that cybercriminals had bribed a few of its overseas customer support agents to leak customers' personal data.—
Liz Napolitano,
CNBC,
19 Sep. 2025
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Executives and employees from a strip club operator are facing charges for allegedly bribing a New York official with free trips and private dances.—
Kelly Phillips Erb,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Gas prices could remain elevated depending on the extent of the damage, the speed of production recovery, the timing of imports and traders’ confidence in turning a profit on additional supplies.—
Chaewon Chung,
Sacbee.com,
3 Oct. 2025
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The Policing Lab donated the vehicle, and the sheriff’s office used no taxpayer dollars to acquire it, said Edward Prokop, a strategic site liaison with the non-profit.—
Devoun Cetoute,
Miami Herald,
3 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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These types of deliveries were highlighted by The Athletic in the summer as a speciality of Zubimendi’s, and one of these was pivotal to Arsenal’s second goal, too.—
Art de Roché,
New York Times,
5 Oct. 2025
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Archaeologists thus got a snapshot of these early humans during a pivotal moment in history when the climate permitted their dispersal through a warming Gobi Desert.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Fast-food restaurants, once the first stop for Americans looking to get at least one meal in before a long work day, are fighting to win back customers.—
Betty Lin-Fisher,
USA Today,
1 Sep. 2025
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Compared with Let’s Move’s easygoing recommendations—children should get at least one hour of physical activity each day, and everyone should drink one more glass of water—MAHA is also considerably more macho.—
Tom Bartlett,
The Atlantic,
1 Sep. 2025
Verb
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But despite all that history, the church voted in June to stop meeting due to low numbers and the inability to keep up with building maintenance costs.—
Andy Humbles,
Nashville Tennessean,
6 Oct. 2025
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The mayor's office said the quick timeline is necessary to meet state notification deadlines for the change to take effect.—
Vanessa Swales,
jsonline.com,
6 Oct. 2025
Verb
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That includes other immigrants who continue to buy homes to move into or to invest in, even some without legal immigration status.—
Juan Cordoba,
Arkansas Online,
5 Oct. 2025
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Why does one hard working fan have to buy seven different versions of an album instead of just having all of the songs be on one complete album?—
Bryan West,
USA Today,
5 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The election was something of a watershed moment for prediction markets, and the industry has gone from strength to strength ever since.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
17 Sep. 2025
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Many see Kirk’s assignation as a watershed moment for the country.—
Jonathan Easley,
The Hill,
15 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Payoff.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/payoff. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
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