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
Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 16 Apr. 2026
Krishna makes the case for why CEOs need to place bold bets, even when the payoff won’t be quick.
—Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 16 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
Now the question of whether there will be a payoff, putting Powell in an all-too-familiar position.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 16 Apr. 2026
Krishna makes the case for why CEOs need to place bold bets, even when the payoff won’t be quick.
—Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 16 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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In 2025, the department spent about thirty million dollars paying people not to work.—
Zach Helfand,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
-
In fact, many retailers find themselves in a similar quandary because tariff refunds will go to whoever paid the actual customs bill.—
Alina Selyukh,
NPR,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Sam Woodward Did your parents ever bribe you to get good grades?—
Sam Woodward,
USA Today,
17 Apr. 2026
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In 2017, Lee was convicted of bribing then-president Park Geun-hye with almost $8 million to gain her support for a merger.—
Natasha O'Neill,
Vanity Fair,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
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In February, O’Neil told the Financial Times that LIV was five to ten years away from turning a profit.—
Zach Helfand,
New Yorker,
23 Apr. 2026
-
The Royals plan to build an entertainment district around the stadium to generate steady profits, though the depths of those plans are not yet clear.—
Kacen Bayless,
Kansas City Star,
22 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The guard’s late-game work on the offensive glass and defensive contributions were pivotal for Boston.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
25 Apr. 2026
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The April 7 announcement by Anthropic — that its new Mythos model was far more powerful and thus far more dangerous than any previous AI tool — increasingly appears to be a pivotal moment in human history.—
U T Editorial Board,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
25 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
-
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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Jokic secured his eligibility for the accolade by playing his 65th game on the last night of the regular season, narrowly meeting the NBA’s quota to appear on awards ballots.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
20 Apr. 2026
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Sam Nunberg, an early campaign aide, met Trump at a wrestling match.—
Zach Helfand,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The company regularly buys brand-new devices and tears them to pieces.—
Julian Lucas,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
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Across the country, retailers and low-income Americans are facing complex new rules overhauling what millions of people can buy with food stamps.—
Rachel Roubein,
Washington Post,
20 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pay off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pay%20off. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
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