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.
The most popular accounts post videos of their kids on platforms like YouTube that can pay out hundreds of thousands of dollars a month.
From Salon • May 10, 2026
The Journal analyzed over 35,000 completed mention markets on Kalshi and found that on average, “yes” trades on mention markets priced at a 50% winning probability pay out around 40% of the time.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 4, 2026
Social Security would pay out almost $150,000 over five years after retirement, and I would still remain under the $50,000 annual cap.
From MarketWatch • May 4, 2026
That means they pay out a relatively low portion of their earnings—and could easily have the financial capacity to keep increasing their payouts.
From Barron's • Apr. 30, 2026
The pigeon, very offended, flew back to the Bird Woman and, to pay out Mary Poppins, stuck the rose in the ribbon of the Bird Woman's hat.
From "Mary Poppins" by P. L. Travers
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.
