pay back

verb

1. to retaliate against

   to pay someone back for an insult

2. to give or do (something equivalent) in return for a favour, insult, etc

3. to repay (a loan)

noun

1. 1. the return on an investment

   2. Also called: payback period. the time taken for a project to cover its outlay

2. 1. something done in order to gain revenge

   2. ( as modifier )

      payback killings

Idioms and Phrases

Repay a debt or a loan, as in I'll pay you back next month .

Also, pay back in someone's own coin . Revenge oneself, repay in kind, as in He thought he could get away with copying my plans, but I'll pay him back in his own coin . This expression refers to repaying a debt in exactly the same currency in which the money had been lent. [c. 1600]

Related Words

• adjust 
• compensate 
• recoup 
• redeem 
• reimburse 
• relinquish 
• remit 
• repay