payoff

[pey-awf, -of]

noun

1. the payment of a salary, debt, wager, etc.

2. the time at which such payment is made.

3. the consequence, outcome, or final sequence in a series of events, actions, or circumstances.

   The payoff was when they fired him.

   Synonyms: finale, upshot, climax

4. Informal.,  the climax of something, especially a story or joke.

5. a settlement or reckoning, as in retribution or reward.

6. Informal.,  a bribe.

adjective

1. yielding results, especially rewarding or decisive results.

   The payoff play was the long pass into the end zone.

verb phrase

1. 1. to pay (someone) everything that is due that person, especially to do so and discharge from one's employ.

   2. to pay (a debt) in full.

   3. Informal.,  to bribe.

   4. to retaliate upon or punish; pay back.

   5. to result in success or failure.

      The risk paid off handsomely.

   6. Nautical.,  to fall off to leeward.

Word History and Origins

Origin of payoff¹

First recorded in 1910–15; noun, adjective use of verb phrase pay off

Example Sentences

Call options on the S&P 500 will deliver a payoff if the index rises above a predetermined level before a given time, which is known as the expiration date.

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The real payoff to AI could come later.

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The immediate payoff that comes from disengaging from social media might feel like “coffee money” in the short term, but “good habits have compounding effects,” Segrera said.

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Investors who try to mimic government investing have seen a payoff in recent years, and according to the chief investment officer at UBS Global Wealth Management, that trend is not about to stop.

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“The payoffs are going to be more complicated, more risky and more expensive than you might appreciate,” says Bessembinder.

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Related Words

• consequence 
• outcome 
• payment 
• reward 
• settlement