payback

[pey-bak]

See more synonyms for payback on Thesaurus.com

noun

the period of time required to recoup a capital investment.
the return on an investment: a payback of 15 percent tax-free.
the act or fact of paying back; repayment.

something done in retaliation: a really vicious payback for years of being snubbed.

Origin of payback

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for payback

reimbursement, compensation, reparation, repayment, profit, accrual, yield, reciprocation, take, interest, income, gate, reward, proceeds, gain, recompense, accruement

Examples from the Web for payback

Contemporary Examples of payback

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
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
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
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
Payback against those accused of practicing sorcery is a deep-set custom in some parts of the ethnically diverse nation.
Where They Still Burn ‘Witches’
Jo Chandler
February 18, 2013

Word Origin and History for payback

n.

also pay-back, 1946, "net return on profits from an investment," from pay (v.) + back (adj.). Meaning "revenge" is attested from 1957.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper