payout

[ pey-out ]

/ ˈpeɪˌaʊt /

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noun

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

money paid, expended, or disbursed, as a dividend or winning: He went to the betting window to collect his payout.

verb phrase pay out

[pey-out] /ˈpeɪ ˈaʊt/ .

to distribute (money, wages, etc.); disburse.
to get revenge upon for an injury; requite.
to let out (a rope) by slackening.

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CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of payout

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

Words nearby payout

payoff, payola, pay one's dues, pay one's respects, pay one's way, payout, payout ratio, PayPass, pay-per-click, pay-per-view, pay phone

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

How to use payout in a sentence

To calculate the typical officer’s payout, we assumed an officer would work a 20-year career with 8-hour work days, adding up to 2,080 hours in a year, which is the method used to calculate the hourly rate in most of the contracts.
How We Found Pricey Provisions in New Jersey Police Contracts|by Agnes Chang, Jeff Kao and Agnel Philip, ProPublica, and Andrew Ford, Asbury Park Press|February 8, 2021|ProPublica
The Press and ProPublica also found that unions and towns have a loophole that gets around the limit the state Legislature put on the payouts.
How the Police Bank Millions Through Their Union Contracts|by Andrew Ford, Asbury Park Press, and Agnes Chang, Jeff Kao and Agnel Philip, ProPublica|February 8, 2021|ProPublica
After doing your math, choose the option that will give you better payouts.
Five tips to maximize profits as an affiliate marketer|Ricky Wang|February 4, 2021|Search Engine Watch
ProPublica examined dozens of the biggest payouts in cases where civilians had also filed complaints with the city agency that reviews alleged police abuse.
New York City Paid an NBA Star Millions After an NYPD Officer Broke His Leg. The Officer Paid Little Price.|by Mike Hayes for ProPublica|January 12, 2021|ProPublica

That between the stock market’s crumbling and many insurers presumably being responsible for a lot of payouts because of the pandemic.
Many Businesses Thought They Were Insured for a Pandemic. They Weren’t. (Ep. 437)|Stephen J. Dubner|October 29, 2020|Freakonomics
And the payout could be well more than the original $100,000 to $250,000 price tag for Olenicoff.
Real Estate Mogul Igor Olenicoff Busted for Art Forgery|Justin Jones|June 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
For the Jackson family, it meant no multibillion-dollar wrongful-death payout.
Sorry, Mrs. Jackson: How the King of Pop’s Mother Lost Her Billion-Dollar Lawsuit|Diane Dimond|October 3, 2013|DAILY BEAST
But was his pursuit of happiness worth the payout (and the fallout)?
'Breaking Bad's' Series Finale Cements Its Status As One of the All-Time Greats|Andrew Romano|September 30, 2013|DAILY BEAST
This information is then processed in the machine to give the user a price quote, and then the payout in cash.
ecoATM offers consumers a new way to sell used cell phones and electronic devices|Sarah Langs|September 1, 2013|DAILY BEAST
“SNAP has no credibility whatsoever,” Dolan said last summer when allegations of the payout first surfaced.
Can the Cardinals Find a Clean Pope?|Barbie Latza Nadeau|March 7, 2013|DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for payout

pay out

verb (adverb)

to distribute (money); disburse

(tr) to release (a rope) gradually, hand over hand

(tr) to retaliate against

noun payout

a sum of money paid out

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 payout

pay out

Distribute money, disburse, as in He paid out the full amount. [Mid-1800s]

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.