payout

American  

[pey-out] / ˈpeɪˌaʊt /

noun

payouts plural

1. an act or instance of paying, expending, or disbursing.

2. money paid, expended, or disbursed, as a dividend or winning.

   He went to the betting window to collect his payout.

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verb phrase

1. 1. to distribute (money, wages, etc.); disburse.

   2. to get revenge upon for an injury; requite.

   3. to let out (a rope) by slackening.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• payouts
  plural

Etymology

Origin of payout

First recorded in 1900–05; noun use of verb phrase pay out

Explanation

When money is handed over it's a payout. Not only does your favorite professional basketball player have a huge salary, he also gets a $50,000 payout if his team makes the quarterfinals! Payout usually refers to money paid as a prize, an investment dividend, or an insurance settlement. You'll probably get a large insurance payout after a tree falls on your house, but you'll have to wait a while. And don't expect any kind of payout from a lottery ticket — the odds of winning a jackpot are extremely low! Payout originally referred to oil wells: the cost of drilling was only worthwhile if the eventual payout would be high.

Example Sentences

Even if it results in a payout, the past would remain unchanged.

From MarketWatch • Jul. 7, 2026

The payout is equal to $0.488 a year and is equivalent to a dividend yield of about 1.5% based on Thursday’s closing share price of $32.42.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 2, 2026

The largest payout came from Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram.

From BBC • Jul. 1, 2026

Any eventual payout would be reduced by taxes, as well as profit-sharing agreements with its litigation funder and former PriceRunner shareholders, the company clarified.

From Barron's • Jul. 1, 2026

The insurance company would like to know what its average payout is per policy written.

From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos