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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
Mary Cunningham, CBS News, 24 Apr. 2026
In your case, persistence paid off.
—Christopher Elliott, Mercury News, 24 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
Nursing degrees pay off For those worried about career prospects, studying nursing could provide a more secure pathway to employment, the study suggests.
—Mary Cunningham, CBS News, 24 Apr. 2026
In your case, persistence paid off.
—Christopher Elliott, Mercury News, 24 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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Last June, Hill was ordered to pay Bauer more than $300,000 for violating settlement terms.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
27 Apr. 2026
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Rams boss Les Snead and Chiefs leadership tandem Andy Reid and Brett Veach don’t seem hindered by obstacles either, despite later draft slots and paying future Hall of Fame quarterbacks.—
Tim Graham,
New York Times,
27 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
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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
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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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Maher cited Walmart’s recent updates to its policies regarding Sparky, its own AI shopping agent, as a watershed moment for the industry.—
Arthur Zaczkiewicz,
Footwear News,
20 Apr. 2026
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Yeahs parlayed their New York hero status into career artists, the Mooney Suzuki, whose 1999 EP was heralded as a watershed moment for the scene, had the unfortunate fate of missing out on the boom.—
Daniel Kohn,
Rolling Stone,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Chelsea and City will meet in the FA Cup final after a beast of a hit from Nico Gonzalez (above) saw City through their semi against Southampton on Saturday.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
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Lawmakers will meet in a special session beginning May 12, so there is still time to correct course.—
Susan Carr,
Sun Sentinel,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The recruitment has been part of that — Leipzig bought well and sold the players who needed to leave — but Werner has handled a young squad particularly well, minimising the volatility that was such a feature of their football last season.—
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
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This simply cannot be done without the ability to buy land.—
Susan Carr,
Sun Sentinel,
26 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pay off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pay%20off. Accessed 28 Apr. 2026.
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