1
as in pays
to give what is owed for
I finally paid off the loan
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
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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
-
The sequel strips Grace of what made her special and merely pays lip service to the first one’s worldview, representing the antagonists as generically incompetent hedonists.—
Michael Ordoña,
San Francisco Chronicle,
18 Mar. 2026
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That comparison can be misleading, however, because insurance rarely pays that price and even people without insurance typically get discounts.—
Berkeley Lovelace Jr,
NBC news,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
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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
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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
-
Head over early or book a reservation—you’ll feel the pull of its moody lighting, Baja-meets-Pacific-Rim menu, and views.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
18 Mar. 2026
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Senate Transportation Committee meets to consider House Bill 1230, which would prohibit the operation of unmanned aircraft systems over places of incarceration.—
Adam Beam,
AJC.com,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The deal, which awaits regulatory approval, has Hollywood bracing for more layoffs.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
16 Mar. 2026
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But in his first season on the Main Line, Kevin Willard has the Wildcats back in the Big Dance.—
Tom Ignudo,
CBS News,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Other stories include a brave school bus driver who keeps the kids safe in a whiteout snowstorm, a woman who saves all her wedding dresses, two speculative fiction pieces about a woman who buys insurance to spend time in an afterlife as pure thought, and one involving school shooting.—
Mary Ann Grossmann,
Twin Cities,
15 Mar. 2026
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Federal authorities had previously investigated Chapman in 2021 for straw purchases, when someone buys a gun for a person who can't get it legally themselves.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
14 Mar. 2026
Verb
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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
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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 20 Mar. 2026.
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