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
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Recent Examples of pay off
Nora Doonan, Hartford Courant, 4 Apr. 2026
But programmers Eugene Jarvis and Larry DeMar were confident that Defender could sell well, and the gamble paid off massively.
—Daryl Baxter, Space.com, 4 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
Patience in early spring can pay off throughout the growing season.
—Nora Doonan, Hartford Courant, 4 Apr. 2026
But programmers Eugene Jarvis and Larry DeMar were confident that Defender could sell well, and the gamble paid off massively.
—Daryl Baxter, Space.com, 4 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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Many players also opt for deferrals and large signing bonuses (as opposed to a higher salary) to avoid paying income tax in certain states.—
Dan Sheldon,
New York Times,
6 Apr. 2026
-
The paying public went from raucous to delirious on the next possession, when Curry raced downcourt and splashed a triple off the dribble.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
6 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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Boosting China’s bold space ambitions The team, from the Institute of Mechanics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, also highlighted their material’s potential for aerospace applications during a pivotal moment in spaceflight history.—
Chris Young,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Apr. 2026
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Rural Americans’ health care worries reflect broader national concerns about access and rising prices of care as the cost of living spikes — anxieties that could prove pivotal in this year’s midterm elections.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
3 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
-
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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Animal Control would have to save about 600 more pets annually to meet that goal.—
Nick Sullivan,
Charlotte Observer,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Tuesday's game is the third time these teams meet this season.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Many of those fertilizer prices have exploded 40% or more in just a couple weeks, and at the worst time possible — right when farmers are about to buy before the growing season.—
E.J. Antoni,
Boston Herald,
6 Apr. 2026
-
The largest deal amounted to $40 billion, with Nvidia, Microsoft, BlackRock and Elon Musk’s xAI forming part of a consortium of investors to buy Aligned Data Centers.—
April Roach,
CNBC,
6 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pay off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pay%20off. Accessed 10 Apr. 2026.
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