payback

[ pey-bak ]

/ ˈpeɪˌbæk /

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See synonyms for: payback / paybacked / paybacking on Thesaurus.com

noun

the period of time required to recoup a capital investment.

the return on an investment: This fund yields a payback of 15 percent tax-free.

the act or fact of paying back; repayment.

something done in retaliation: Excluding them from her wedding was a vicious payback for years of being snubbed.

verb phrase pay back

[pey-bak] /ˈpeɪ ˈbæk/ .

to repay or return; pay off: Graduates from this program are successfully paying back their student loans.
to retaliate against or punish: She paid us back by refusing the invitation.
to requite.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of payback

First recorded in 1955–60; noun use of verb phrase pay back

Words nearby payback

pay-and-display, pay-as-you-go, pay-as-you-throw, pay attention, pay a visit, payback, pay bed, paybox, pay cable, paycheck, pay court to

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use payback in a sentence

Rivers popped to his feet and went after Johnson, looking for immediate payback.
In The 1990s, The New York Knicks Fought Everyone — Even David Stern|Chris Herring (chris.herring@fivethirtyeight.com)|January 18, 2022|FiveThirtyEight
I laughed and blamed our son, saying he must’ve hidden them there as payback for having gone skiing without him.
A Dolomites Trip and a Deeper Connection to Someone Loved and Lost|cobrien|January 16, 2022|Outside Online
We will start up new oil fields and we will invest in new oil fields, but only the ones that have the best carbon intensity, only the ones that have the best economics, the shortest paybacks, the highest returns.
BP's CEO Is Trying to Convince the World He's Serious About Going Green|Vivienne Walt|December 5, 2021|Time
It’s the method of least disruption, faster payback period, better customer experience and no privacy concerns.
New Zealand-based Imagr thinks camera-based AI is the future of shopping trolleys|Rebecca Bellan|August 27, 2021|TechCrunch

A traumatized nation desperate for security and payback put its faith in an administration primed for war.
The critics of war in Afghanistan proved prescient|Jeremy Varon|August 26, 2021|Washington Post
The payback scene at the end of the new season was really hard to watch.
Inside 'Sons of Anarchy's' Final Season: Creator Kurt Sutter on the Most Brutal Season Yet|Annaliza Savage|September 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Nonetheless, his power also derives from fear: fear of political payback, fear of his alleged wealth.
Game of Thrones’ Ep. 6, ‘The Laws of Gods and Men’: The Riveting Trial of Tyrion Lannister|Andrew Romano|May 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The payback was swift and the re-alignment was total: a Solid South, but this time, Republican.
The South Has Indeed Risen Again and It’s Called the Tea Party|Jack Schwartz|December 8, 2013|DAILY BEAST
If a Republican wins the presidency in 2016, the payback from Democrats will be vicious.
Obama Really Seems to Be Looking Forward to the End of His Presidency|Dean Obeidallah|December 2, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Drive 20,000 miles per year at $4.00 a gallon, and the payback period is shorter—2.5 years.
Uncle Sam Embraces Hybrids|Daniel Gross|May 13, 2013|DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for payback

pay back

verb (tr, adverb)

to retaliate againstto pay someone back for an insult

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

to repay (a loan)

noun payback

the return on an investment
Also called: payback period the time taken for a project to cover its outlay

something done in order to gain revenge
(as modifier)payback killings

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with payback

pay back

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]