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

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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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

payoff

3 of 3

adjective

as in pivotal

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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
Before any spend is approved, the team defines what must be true (economics, clinical proof, productivity) to pay off. — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026 Gabriella paid off most of his entourage to leave him and the band alone and is now basically his own private Joe Jackson, pressuring him to record nonstop. — Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 6 July 2026
Noun
Organizing into groups is a tiny effort with a decent security payoff. — Neil J. Rubenking, PC Magazine, 1 July 2026 Instead, Price opts for slow builds and gratifying payoffs, creating a tension that sustains the momentum of the record without getting lost in the details. — Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 3 July 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
  1. pay
  2. bribe
  3. profit
  4. pivotal
  5. meet
  6. get at
  7. watershed
  8. buy
Verb
  • While Walmart isn’t an official sponsor of the World Cup, either, taking advantage of the social media chatter helps the company glom onto the tournament without paying FIFA for the privilege – especially when attention spans are divided.
    — Ramishah Maruf, CNN Money, 8 July 2026
  • Cruise ship pay varies widely by job, but free housing, meals and other perks can significantly boost overall compensation.
    — Nathan Diller, USA Today, 8 July 2026
Definition of pay
Verb
  • In exchange, the indictment said, the bettors bribed Beasley and his debts to Davis were reduced or eliminated.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 1 July 2026
  • Undercover recordings allegedly captured Owens detailing how public officials could be bribed and how the illicit funds could be laundered through businesses and campaign donations, the outlet reported.
    — Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 30 June 2026
Definition of bribe
Noun
  • The International Air Transport Association last month warned that global airlines could see their profits halved this year due to rising jet fuel costs, which are expected to be about 70% higher year-on-year.
    — Hugh Leask, CNBC, 6 July 2026
  • Oil prices, which skyrocketed for the first few months of the US-Israeli war with Iran, are now coming back down, closing a window of opportunity for Russia to use higher profits on its exports to close its widening budget deficit.
    — Clare Sebastian, CNN Money, 6 July 2026
Definition of profit
Adjective
  • Women controlled children and property and played pivotal roles in tribe politics.
    — Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 3 July 2026
  • Although her date with Daniel didn’t end well in the season 2 finale, Helen will play a pivotal role in the series.
    — Katie Mannion, PEOPLE, 3 July 2026
Definition of pivotal
Verb
  • The pair met in English class on the first day of their freshman year.
    — Bryan West, USA Today, 4 July 2026
  • The platform is scalable and can be deployed to meet the power demands of AI data centers and even support the grid.
    — Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 3 July 2026
Definition of meet
Verb
  • 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
Definition of get at
Adjective
  • And that’s for showing up at a red carpet, not for a watershed celebrity wedding that threatens to overshadow America’s 250th birthday on July 4.
    — Marc Malkin, Variety, 2 July 2026
  • One of the biggest off-pitch stories of the 2026 FIFA World Cup was the watershed moment for the rest of the world that was the discovery of ranch dressing.
    — Matt Reigle OutKick, FOXNews.com, 1 July 2026
Definition of watershed
Verb
  • This pursuit of inner peace, whether through vacations or symbolic purchases, may reflect a generation trying to buy calm in a country where certainty is itself a luxury.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 8 July 2026
  • La Scuola del Cuoio carries on Florence’s historic leather-making tradition and is the perfect place to buy a high-quality artisan bag.
    — Laura Itzkowitz, Travel + Leisure, 8 July 2026
Definition of buy

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Cite this Entry

“Pay off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pay%20off. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of pay off for Spanish Speakers

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