as in earnings
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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Recent Examples of payoffs
First, the software giant is doubling down on capital expenditures as Wall Street increasingly asks when investments in artificial intelligence infrastructure will produce more dramatic payoffs in revenue growth.
—
Bloomberg, Mercury News, 27 Mar. 2026
Showrunner Dario Scardapane expertly crafts each hour to move the plot, characters and themes toward both their blowout conclusions and larger narrative payoffs.
—Bob Strauss, San Francisco Chronicle, 24 Mar. 2026
Prosecutors said at the time that the two received about $600,000 in payoffs and embezzled money.
—Scott Travis, Sun Sentinel, 13 Mar. 2026
While states are generally inclined to fund more clinical and translational research, which would have more immediate payoffs for taxpayers, the plan also specifically calls for funding basic research that seeds clinical discoveries.
—Anil Oza, STAT, 20 Feb. 2026
That means potential payoffs but also extreme danger.
—James Ward, USA Today, 18 Feb. 2026
The pitchers were first charged in November with accepting several thousand dollars in payoffs to help two gamblers from their native Dominican Republic win at least $460,000 by placing more than 100 in-game prop bets and parlays on the speed and the outcome of certain pitches.
—ABC News, 18 Feb. 2026
The latest earnings reports from major technology companies have revived investors’ concerns about payoffs on elevated artificial intelligence (AI) spending.
—Tipranks, CNBC, 8 Feb. 2026
This was the same man who was accused of helping coordinate payoffs to Kelly’s accusers ahead of the 2008 trial.
—Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 31 Jan. 2026
Bloomberg, Mercury News, 27 Mar. 2026
Showrunner Dario Scardapane expertly crafts each hour to move the plot, characters and themes toward both their blowout conclusions and larger narrative payoffs.
—Bob Strauss, San Francisco Chronicle, 24 Mar. 2026
Prosecutors said at the time that the two received about $600,000 in payoffs and embezzled money.
—Scott Travis, Sun Sentinel, 13 Mar. 2026
While states are generally inclined to fund more clinical and translational research, which would have more immediate payoffs for taxpayers, the plan also specifically calls for funding basic research that seeds clinical discoveries.
—Anil Oza, STAT, 20 Feb. 2026
That means potential payoffs but also extreme danger.
—James Ward, USA Today, 18 Feb. 2026
The pitchers were first charged in November with accepting several thousand dollars in payoffs to help two gamblers from their native Dominican Republic win at least $460,000 by placing more than 100 in-game prop bets and parlays on the speed and the outcome of certain pitches.
—ABC News, 18 Feb. 2026
The latest earnings reports from major technology companies have revived investors’ concerns about payoffs on elevated artificial intelligence (AI) spending.
—Tipranks, CNBC, 8 Feb. 2026
This was the same man who was accused of helping coordinate payoffs to Kelly’s accusers ahead of the 2008 trial.
—Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 31 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for payoffs
Noun
-
Now amid the Greeley strike and other slaughter plant capacity reductions — including the closure of a major Tyson Foods’ plant in Nebraska — JBS and other companies are seeing profits increase, Martin said.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Novartis warned earlier this year that profits would decline in early 2026 as some of its best-selling drugs, including heart medicine Entresto face generic competition.—
Elsa Ohlen,
CNBC,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Early military gains give way to a larger strategic mess.—
Ishaan Tharoor,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
-
During key periods like the pandemic boom and another surge in 2025, trading card indexes tracking Pokémon sales posted gains that far exceeded the S&P 500's long-term average annual return of 10% to 12%, according to trading card valuation tool Card Ladder.—
Brandon Gomez,
CNBC,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
During tax year 2022, roughly 15 million returns claimed the SALT deduction, which is fewer than 10% of filings, based on the latest IRS data.—
Kate Dore, CFP®, EA,Lorie Konish,Kamaron McNair,Greg Iacurci,Mike Winters,Sarah Agostino,
CNBC,
29 Mar. 2026
-
But there are a number of reasons to file tax returns even when they’re not strictly required, including claiming tax credits, getting back income tax withheld from paychecks or retirement accounts, and getting access to any future government stimulus payments that might be offered.—
Liz Weston,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Payoffs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/payoffs. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.
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