1
as in pays
to give what is owed for
I finally paid off the loan
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in bribes
to influence someone with a bribe
she paid off the security guard so that she could steal whatever she liked
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 pays off
The service This is where staying in a luxury hotel really pays off.
—
Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 14 Mar. 2026
Residents can request the HOA be turned over to them, but Pulte also currently pays off the HOA’s yearly budget shortfall, according to company officials.
—R. Christian Smith, Chicago Tribune, 26 Feb. 2026
And sometimes, all that effort pays off.
—Paul Sutter, Space.com, 6 Feb. 2026
All that work building a mental map of London pays off in more ways than one.
—Big Think, 29 Jan. 2026
Not only is her delivery hilarious, but having Forest Whitaker’s daughter play an unabashed Hollywood nepo baby is a sly bit of meta casting that pays off big time here.
—Caroline Framke, Vulture, 10 Nov. 2025
Shopping discount/manager markdowns pays off Becky Shotts, 29, of Chattanooga, Tennessee has found savings by looking for discount markdowns by managers at her grocery store.
—Betty Lin-Fisher, USA Today, 31 Oct. 2025
The conceit is risky but pays off.
—Literary Hub, 31 Oct. 2025
Get their money’s worth – make sure their major-league-leading $350 million payroll pays off.
—Mirjam Swanson, Oc Register, 17 Oct. 2025
Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 14 Mar. 2026
Residents can request the HOA be turned over to them, but Pulte also currently pays off the HOA’s yearly budget shortfall, according to company officials.
—R. Christian Smith, Chicago Tribune, 26 Feb. 2026
And sometimes, all that effort pays off.
—Paul Sutter, Space.com, 6 Feb. 2026
All that work building a mental map of London pays off in more ways than one.
—Big Think, 29 Jan. 2026
Not only is her delivery hilarious, but having Forest Whitaker’s daughter play an unabashed Hollywood nepo baby is a sly bit of meta casting that pays off big time here.
—Caroline Framke, Vulture, 10 Nov. 2025
Shopping discount/manager markdowns pays off Becky Shotts, 29, of Chattanooga, Tennessee has found savings by looking for discount markdowns by managers at her grocery store.
—Betty Lin-Fisher, USA Today, 31 Oct. 2025
The conceit is risky but pays off.
—Literary Hub, 31 Oct. 2025
Get their money’s worth – make sure their major-league-leading $350 million payroll pays off.
—Mirjam Swanson, Oc Register, 17 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pays off
Verb
-
As of now, the job pays nothing.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Mar. 2026
-
YouTube, which already pays some $2 billion annually for the rights to the out-of-market NFL Sunday Ticket package, is expected to pick up all four of those windows.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
In one of the film’s most madcap and darkly comedic moments, Linda bribes her daughter with the promise of a pet hamster — who turns out to be a biter, desperate to escape its box.—
Rachel Brodsky,
Rolling Stone,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The SoonerSafe Rebate Program pays up to 75% of the cost of a new safe room, up to $3,000.—
Dale Denwalt,
Oklahoman,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Norton, his interest piqued, pays up to discover there is more like it at Ox Lake, 600 miles farther north in the open tundra known as the Barren Grounds.—
Malcolm Forbes,
Washington Post,
22 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
February 19 – March 20 When compassion meets structure, your path steadies.—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
11 Mar. 2026
-
The location – Britain’s only desert, where sparse natural life meets heavy industrial infrastructure – provides both the visual setting and a thematic undercurrent.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Anyone who has watched the last decade of merger mania in Hollywood has good reason to be skeptical.—
Lucas Shaw,
Bloomberg,
9 Mar. 2026
-
The 21-year-old has already done the same outside Balmain and Acne Studios that day, and has plans later to stand outside Rick Owens.—
Madeleine Schulz,
Vogue,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
China buys large amounts of oil from Iran and elsewhere in the Middle East – which have been affected by the Iranian blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.—
Jennifer Pak,
NPR,
8 Mar. 2026
-
Formed in 1985, The Conservation Fund is a national nonprofit environmental organization that buys at-risk land with high conservation values for the purpose of turning it over to long-term ownership dedicated to environmental preservation.—
John Meyer,
Denver Post,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The victim of his sacrifice is Gretchen, a virgin whom Faust seduces and abandons in his devilish reverie, and who kills their illegitimate child.—
Merve Emre,
New Yorker,
1 Dec. 2025
-
The film follows the deliciously immoral, widowed Lady Susan Vernon (Kate Beckinsale), who maneuvers, deceives and seduces her way through London and across her relatives' country estates in an effort to find a wealthy husband for herself and her daughter, Frederica (Morfydd Clark).—
Andrea Wurzburger,
PEOPLE,
29 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pays off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pays%20off. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
