pay off

verb

1. (tr, adverb) to pay all that is due in wages, etc, and discharge from employment

2. (tr, adverb) to pay the complete amount of (a debt, bill, etc)

3. (intr, adverb) to turn out to be profitable, effective, etc

   the gamble paid off

4. to take revenge on (a person) or for (a wrong done)

   to pay someone off for an insult

5. informal,  (tr, adverb) to give a bribe to

6. (intr, adverb) nautical (of a vessel) to make leeway

noun

1. the final settlement, esp in retribution

   the payoff came when the gang besieged the squealer's house

2. informal,  the climax, consequence, or outcome of events, a story, etc, esp when unexpected or improbable

3. the final payment of a debt, salary, etc

4. the time of such a payment

5. informal,  a bribe

Idioms and Phrases

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]

Produce a profit, as in That gamble did not pay off . [Mid-1900s]

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 .

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

He says Mr Mwesigwa pays off security at various nightclubs so they will let his women in to find clients.

From BBC

Until this week, it seemed No 10's calculated risk of appointing Mandelson was paying off.

From BBC

“Retired police officer pays off district lunch debt.”

From Salon

The chancellor told colleagues: "I do not think there is anything progressive about spending £100 billion a year on paying off debts accrued by previous governments."

From BBC

The petition confirms reports that Dash’s one-third share of Roc-A-Fella Records was auctioned to the New York Department of Taxation and Finance in August 2024 to help pay off his tax debt.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• amount 
• award 
• cash 
• deposit 
• disbursement 
• fee 
• outlay 
• pension 
• premium 
• refund 
• reimbursement 
• remittance 
• reparation 
• repayment www.thesaurus.com
• restitution 
• return 
• reward 
• royalty 
• salary 
• settlement