as in retaliations
the act or an instance of responding to an injury with an injury
we are hoping to get payback for the humiliating defeat we suffered at the hands of our rivals during our last matchup
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Recent Examples of paybacks
If the administration does indeed leave it up to the CIT to provide a protocol for paybacks, the court could potentially take several months to respond.
—
Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 24 Feb. 2026
The study found that a ceramic coffee mug must be reused between 4 and 32 times before outperforming disposable cups on those measures, which represented faster paybacks than reusable coffee cups made from metal or plastic.
—ABC News, 23 Feb. 2026
Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 24 Feb. 2026
The study found that a ceramic coffee mug must be reused between 4 and 32 times before outperforming disposable cups on those measures, which represented faster paybacks than reusable coffee cups made from metal or plastic.
—ABC News, 23 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for paybacks
Noun
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Neither country can afford to return to the prior tariff rates during the heat of tit-for-tat retaliations, which freaked out Big Tech earlier this year.—
Ashley Belanger,
ArsTechnica,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
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What starts as a petty territorial conflict mutates into a spiralling cycle of retributions, escalating from passive-aggressive jabs to acts of destruction and ruin.—
Udita Jhunjhunwala,
Variety,
21 Nov. 2025
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Surveys are important, too, so workers feel safe to speak up without any retributions.—
Vicki Salemi,
Boston Herald,
27 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Paybacks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/paybacks. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.
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