pay off
Britishverb
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(tr, adverb) to pay all that is due in wages, etc, and discharge from employment
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(tr, adverb) to pay the complete amount of (a debt, bill, etc)
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(intr, adverb) to turn out to be profitable, effective, etc
the gamble paid off
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to take revenge on (a person) or for (a wrong done)
to pay someone off for an insult
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informal (tr, adverb) to give a bribe to
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(intr, adverb) nautical (of a vessel) to make leeway
noun
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the final settlement, esp in retribution
the payoff came when the gang besieged the squealer's house
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informal the climax, consequence, or outcome of events, a story, etc, esp when unexpected or improbable
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the final payment of a debt, salary, etc
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the time of such a payment
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informal a bribe
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Pay the full amount on a debt or on wages, as in The car's finally paid off , or Les pays off the workers every Friday evening . [Early 1700s]
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Produce a profit, as in That gamble did not pay off . [Mid-1900s]
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Also, pay off an old score . Get revenge on someone for some grievance, require, as in Jerry was satisfied; he'd paid off his ex-partner when he bought him out at half-price , or Amy went out with her roommate's boyfriend, but she was paying off and old score .
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Bribe, as in The owner of the bar paid off the local police so he wouldn't get in trouble for serving liquor to minors . [ Colloquial ; c. 1900]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The company must prove strong engagement and content spending will pay off amid rising competition and recent price increases.
From Barron's • Apr. 16, 2026
The company has since brought prices down, a move Ford said is starting to pay off.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026
The 1983-84 Houston Rockets are commonly credited with innovating the practice—and with showing just how remarkably it can pay off.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026
It didn’t happen right away this time, but investors who held through March’s market tumult are finding that the classic geopolitical playbook for the U.S. equity market is finally starting to pay off.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 14, 2026
“It didn't pay off so good?” she whispered.
From "The Lemonade War" by Jacqueline Davies
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
