pay out
Britishverb
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to distribute (money); disburse
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(tr) to release (a rope) gradually, hand over hand
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(tr) to retaliate against
noun
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Distribute money, disburse, as in He paid out the full amount . [Mid-1800s]
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Let out a rope by slackening, as in She paid out the rope until it was long enough to tie the canoe onto the car . This nautical expression dates from the late 1700s.
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.
YouTube had nearly no amortization on content, and only pays out to the successful videos and channels.
From Barron's
Bayer may have to pay out €5 billion this year, which will result in negative free cash flow for this year.
From MarketWatch
Markets that pay out based on the outcome of real-world events such as these emerged through academic and experimental platforms before moving into the commercial sector.
An animal charity is having to pay out about £400,000 on vet bills each year as call-outs to help stricken dogs increase "massively", staff say.
From BBC
Fifteen years of anemic supply following the 2008-09 financial crisis had left bondholders starved for new muni debt, a favorite of wealthy American households because it pays out interest exempt from federal income taxes.
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.
