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 pay off
Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 10 Apr. 2026
This might suggest that fact-checking efforts are paying off.
—Robert B. Talisse, The Conversation, 10 Apr. 2026
Jake Angelo, Fortune, 4 Apr. 2026
Stealing high-value Pokémon cards can have a fast and big payoff, but the crime can also carry a hefty sentence.
—Vanessa Yurkevich, CNN Money, 4 Apr. 2026
Andrew Unterberger, Billboard, 17 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pay off
Verb
While the initial move into smartphones posed a risk to Apple's device margins, the gamble paid off through what would become a massive industry-altering phenomenon.
—Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 10 Apr. 2026
This might suggest that fact-checking efforts are paying off.
—Robert B. Talisse, The Conversation, 10 Apr. 2026
Noun
While the average annual earnings for all engineering graduates is six figures, the payoff is slim.
—Jake Angelo, Fortune, 4 Apr. 2026
Stealing high-value Pokémon cards can have a fast and big payoff, but the crime can also carry a hefty sentence.
—Vanessa Yurkevich, CNN Money, 4 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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
Verb
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Horwitz says the funds could increase teacher pay by as much as 5%, but they will also be used to provide more specialists and smaller class sizes.—
Chierstin Roth,
CBS News,
13 Apr. 2026
-
Alfortish paid Garrison for his work as a slammer by check.—
Patrick Radden Keefe,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
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And after CLEAResult fired Darlington in 2017, the brothers began bribing CLEAResult employee Peter Marra — sending him cash and gift cards for special favors like getting heads-ups on inspections and audits.—
Rick Sobey,
Boston Herald,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Asha was bribing people to use a scale!—
Rebecca Firkser,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Wainwright alleges that the company started putting profits over people, which is when problems began to escalate.—
Terell Bailey,
CBS News,
9 Apr. 2026
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The Public Service Commission has approved a flurry of rate hikes in recent years as private utilities grapple with maintaining profits while improving infrastructure in a mountainous, sparsely populated state.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
9 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The roots of the day, also celebrated as International Workers Day, go back over a century to a turbulent and pivotal time in labor history.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
10 Apr. 2026
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Plenty of old faces return for brief scenes while new faces play more pivotal roles (including Anthony Timpano as Jamie, an infant in the original series, and Vaughan Murrae as Kelly, the result of Lois’ series-finale pregnancy reveal).—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
10 Apr. 2026
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
Adjective
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Disney previously agreed to take a $1 billion stake in the startup and license 200 iconic characters to Sora in what some entertainment executives considered a watershed deal.—
The Week US,
TheWeek,
2 Apr. 2026
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The boxing world, in general, is also kind of identifying this as a watershed moment, in many ways.—
Lisa Deaderick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Within three days of the Da Nang landing in 1965, a group of professors at the University of Michigan met to discuss a response.—
Louis Menand,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
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Politics, waivers, and environmental concerns Under the Biden-era rule, coke plants were supposed to start meeting new limits on leaks from the lids and doors of ovens that heat coal.—
Stephanie Armour,
CBS News,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
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One of those facing the budget ax is a program called Market Match, which helps low-income people buy produce, while supporting the farmers who grow it.—
John Ramos,
CBS News,
13 Apr. 2026
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The Lenovo Legion Go 2 price is skyrocketing, and the latest hike hits the best version money can buy.—
James Peckham,
PC Magazine,
13 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pay off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pay%20off. Accessed 13 Apr. 2026.
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