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.
In a YouTube video published in January 2025, Hall said he has been struggling to sell enough tickets for his draws to cover costs, leaving him unable to pay out.
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026
If I put my checking and savings accounts into the trust, would those funds be available to pay these expenses so the trustee would not have to pay out of pocket?
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026
In an unprecedented twist, Meta said it would only pay out the full $18 billion if TikTok and YouTube agree to similar daily time limits and their own $5.3 billion payments.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026
Meta will pay out up to $18bn to almost all US states, plus the District of Columbia and three US territories.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
“You can see him on every line. He hand-fed each word to the Courier. He’ll go far, that fellow. This is better advertising for his company and himself than you can pay out money for.”
From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck
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.
