pay off

Formspays off, paying off, paid off

1. 1
   phrasal verbintransitive

   To be worth the effort or cost in the end.

   All that practice paid off when she won the race.

   My dad always says that hard work pays off.

   Similarsucceed, work

   Oppositefail, backfire

2. 2
   phrasal verbtransitive

   To finish paying for something bought with a loan, like a car, so it is fully yours.

   We will pay off the house in five more years.

   She finally paid off her car last spring.

3. 3
   phrasal verbtransitive

   To pay back money you owe.

   It took me four years to pay off my student loans.

   He borrowed money from his brother and paid him off by summer.

   Similarrepay, settle, clear

4. 4
   noun · pay-offcountable

   Something good you get for what you did or put up with.

   The pay-off for all that studying was a full scholarship.

   Is there any pay-off for waiting in this long line?

   Similarreward, dividend

5. 5
   phrasal verbcolloquialtransitive

   To give someone money secretly so they will ignore something wrong.

   The smugglers paid off the guards at the border.

   Someone must have paid off the inspector.

   Similarbribe

   Note
6. 6
   noun · pay-offcolloquialcountable

   Money paid to someone to get them to do something dishonest.

   The guard took a pay-off to leave the gate open.

   Reporters found proof of pay-offs to the mayor's office.

   Similarbribe, backhander, sweetener, inducement, payola

7. 7
   noun · pay-offcountable

   The money you get back from something you put money into.

   The pay-off from the new store came sooner than we expected.

   Investors are still waiting for a pay-off from the deal.

   Similarreturn, dividend, yield

8. 8
   noun · pay-offcolloquialcountable

   In a story, a later part that explains or finishes something that happened before.

   The movie's ending was a great pay-off for all the clues.

   The book sets up a big mystery but never gives us a pay-off.

   Similarresolution

   Oppositesetup

   Note
9. 9
   noun · pay-offuncountable

   Paying all of what you owe, or the point when nothing is left to pay.

   We are two years away from pay-off on the car loan.

   The bank sent a letter to confirm the pay-off of our loan.

10. 10
    phrasal verbtransitive

    To give a worker their last pay and let them go.

    The farmer paid off the extra workers and sent them home after the harvest.

    When the ship came home, the sailors were paid off and went ashore.

    Similardischarge, dismiss

    Note
11. 11
    noun · pay-offslangabbreviationellipsis

    Short for payoff pitch. In baseball, it is the pitch thrown with three balls and two strikes.

    The crowd stood up as the pitcher got ready for the pay-off.

    She swung at the pay-off and hit it over the fence.

    Note
12. 12
    phrasal verbintransitive

    Of a sailing ship, for the front to turn away from the wind.

    When the wind changed, the front of the boat paid off and the sails filled again.

    Loosen the sail a little and let the boat pay off.

    Note

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