pay off 1 of 3

verb

Definition of pay offnext
1
as in to pay
to give what is owed for I finally paid off the loan

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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

payoff

2 of 3

noun

ˈpā-ˌȯf How to pronounce payoff (audio)
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

payoff

3 of 3

adjective

as in pivotal

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Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of pay off
Verb
The big question is whether those extra classroom days will pay off — and the first signal, attendance, is a mixed one. — Lina Ruiz october 8, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Oct. 2026 The rapid production schedule paid off when the cast members saw the familiar-yet-foreign set for the first time in more than a decade. — Mekita Rivas, Architectural Digest, 8 Oct. 2026
Noun
For Target, the payoff extends beyond a smoother customer experience. — Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 2 Oct. 2026 The payoff is that bulky, awkward items like pot lids and foil boxes stop monopolizing a shelf and become easy to grab. — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Miami Herald, 1 Oct. 2026
Adjective
There’s little sense of forward motion in these tracks, but even when simply drifting in place, the blend of atmosphere and physicality—sunset glow meets seismic throb—is payoff enough. — Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 4 Aug. 2026 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 See All Example Sentences for pay off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pay off
  1. pay
  2. bribe
  3. profit
  4. pivotal
  5. meet
  6. buy
  7. watershed
  8. decisive
Verb
  • The Wall Street Journal reports that oil producers are paying $30 million to $40 million for round-trip shots in and out of the Strait of Hormuz.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 12 Oct. 2026
  • In most cases, bed and board have to be paid for, but there are a series of daily spending caps on different elements, such as food and hotel costs.
    — The Week UK, TheWeek, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of pay
Verb
  • Silva then went from threatening the detective to attempting to bribe him, according to the report.
    — David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 5 Oct. 2026
  • By automating tasks that once required human discretion, rulers can replace unreliable intermediaries with faithful algorithms that cannot be bribed or manipulated.
    — Seva Gunitsky, Foreign Affairs, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of bribe
Noun
  • The Ellison regime has revealed itself thus far as a shirtsleeve operation, one zeroed in on lowering costs and boosting profits.
    — Matt Donnelly, Variety, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Next week will bring high-profile profit reports from the country’s biggest banks, including Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo all on Tuesday.
    — Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of profit
Adjective
  • Its produce is pivotal in curbing supply-side inflation domestically, and the country ranks among the top global exporters of rice and sugar.
    — Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2026
  • There’s the recurring omission of pivotal moments — in the last two weeks alone, Mae’s death happens offscreen, as does everyone finding out about it — which is less vexing with tough scenes than joyous ones.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of pivotal
Verb
  • Sheffield then met Tamboran’s CEO at the time, Alabama native Joel Riddle.
    — Jordan Blum, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2026
  • The couple met when Anson attended one of McCollum’s parties in 1978.
    — Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of meet
Verb
  • Otthon Centrum analyst Gábor Soóki-Tóth said Tihany is one of the most expensive places in Hungary to buy a vacation property — with prices outstripping those in the nation's capital.
    — Lucy Handley, CNBC, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Everyone is focusing more on engagement, return on investment and a forward-looking perspective, rather than simply buying something off the shelf to meet demand for the following weekend.
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of buy
Adjective
  • The bombing became a watershed moment in the era’s violent conflicts between employers and organized labor.
    — The Learning Network, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2026
  • But time zones aside, the launch marked a watershed moment for Canada's future in space.
    — Tariq Malik, Space.com, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of watershed
Adjective
  • Lukas Dostal made 12 saves, stopping just six of 11 shots in the decisive middle period before being replaced to start the third.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Public confidence will play a decisive role in the growth of fusion power.
    — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of decisive

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Cite this Entry

“Pay off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pay%20off. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

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