Dictionary

pay off en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (US) audio

Meanings

1. (informal, transitive) To bribe, especially to deter oversight.
   • I thought the guards would give us trouble, but apparently he had paid them off.
   • I had to pay off the judge to get my license back. 1979, Al Greenwood, Lou Gramm, “Rev on the Red Line”, in Head Games:
2. (intransitive) To become worthwhile; to produce a net benefit.
   • Wenger sent on Cesc Fabregas and Van Persie to try to finish Leeds off and with 14 minutes left the switch paid off as the Spaniard sent Bendtner away down the right and his wonderful curling cross was headed in by Van Persie at the far post. 2011 January 19, Jonathan Stevenson, “Leeds 1 - 3 Arsenal”, in BBC Sport, archived from the original on 27 Feb 2021:
   • The work has also paid off in terms of the numbers of passengers using York Street station, with both locals and students travelling to and from the nearby campus. 2026 March 18, Chris Conway talks to Andy Comfort, “The RAIL Interview”, in RAIL, number 1057, page 34:
   • Her years of Spanish classes finally paid off when she found herself in Mexico and realized she could communicate with people.
3. (transitive) To pay back; to repay.
   • What Pimp was asking me to do was crazy. Off the fuckin' chain. Insane. He was scheming to stick up T.C. and Miss Lady's pool hall so we could pay off G, but a playa like me was getting ready to go to college and put all that two-bit robbing and stealing shit behind me. 2006, Noire [pseudonym], Thug-A-Licious: An Urban Erotic Tale, New York, N.Y.: One World, Ballantine Books, →ISBN, page 27:
   • He paid off the loan three months early.
4. (transitive) To pay back (repay) the entirety of a loan, thereby effecting the release of a lien on (the thing that was financed).
   • This contract requires you to pay off the car by 2025.
5. (transitive) To pay and discharge (an employee).
   • The cook, who had been an indifferent worker on the trip over, came aboard drunk and was immediately paid off. Amazingly, twenty men applied to fill the vacancy. 1959, Albert Lansing, Endurance, page 25:
6. To fall to leeward, as the head of a vessel under sail.

Forms

Coordinates

pay down

Deriveds

pay-off · payoff

Synonyms

extinguish

Translations (98)

ru окупи́ться (to become worthwhile; to produce a net benefit) · hu kifizetődik (to become worthwhile; to produce a net benefit) · es merecer la pena (to become worthwhile; to produce a net benefit) · pl przekupić (to bribe, especially to deter oversight) · ru выпла́чивать (to pay back; to repay) · it ripagare (to pay back; to repay) · pl spłacić (to pay back; to repay) · fr porter ses fruits (to become worthwhile; to produce a net benefit) · nb amortisere (to pay back; to repay) · nb lønne seg (to become worthwhile; to produce a net benefit) · nb tilbakebetale (to pay back; to repay) · de sich auszahlen (to become worthwhile; to produce a net benefit) · es compensar el esfuerzo (to become worthwhile; to produce a net benefit) · ro dovedi profitabil (to become worthwhile; to produce a net benefit) · ro da roade (to become worthwhile; to produce a net benefit) · bg разплащам се (to pay back; to repay) · it corrompere (to bribe, especially to deter oversight) · cs vyplácet se (to become worthwhile; to produce a net benefit) · ru выпла́чивать (to pay back (repay, pay off) the entirety of a loan, thereby effecting the release of a lien on) · it ricompensare (to become worthwhile; to produce a net benefit) · nb avbetale (to pay back (repay, pay off) the entirety of a loan, thereby effecting the release of a lien on) · ro achita (to pay back; to repay) · hu jövedelmez (to become worthwhile; to produce a net benefit) · de abzahlen (to pay back; to repay) · ro rambursa (to pay back; to repay) · hu megtérül (to become worthwhile; to produce a net benefit) · de zurückzahlen (to pay back; to repay) · fr soudoyer (to bribe, especially to deter oversight) · cs vyplatit se (to become worthwhile; to produce a net benefit) · pl spłacić (to pay back (repay, pay off) the entirety of a loan, thereby effecting the release of a lien on) · cs podplatit (to bribe, especially to deter oversight) · hu rendez (to pay back; to repay) · nrf soudre (to become worthwhile; to produce a net benefit) · ru вы́платить (to pay back; to repay) · nrf soudre (to pay back (repay, pay off) the entirety of a loan, thereby effecting the release of a lien on) · ru окупа́ться (to become worthwhile; to produce a net benefit) · cs splatit (to pay back (repay, pay off) the entirety of a loan, thereby effecting the release of a lien on) · nrf soudre (to pay back; to repay) · es salir a cuenta (to become worthwhile; to produce a net benefit) · de kaufen (to bribe, especially to deter oversight) · ro mitui (to bribe, especially to deter oversight) · pl spłacać (to pay back (repay, pay off) the entirety of a loan, thereby effecting the release of a lien on) · fi maksaa takaisin (to pay back; to repay) · pt compensar (to become worthwhile; to produce a net benefit) · ca valer la pena (to become worthwhile; to produce a net benefit) · pl przekupywać (to bribe, especially to deter oversight) · fr revaloir (to pay back; to repay) · nl aflossen (to pay back; to repay) · ca valdre la pena (to become worthwhile; to produce a net benefit) · cs podplácet (to bribe, especially to deter oversight) · hu törleszt (to pay back; to repay) · uk вартува́ти (to become worthwhile; to produce a net benefit) · fr payer (to become worthwhile; to produce a net benefit) · de abbezahlen (to pay back (repay, pay off) the entirety of a loan, thereby effecting the release of a lien on) · ja 報われる (to become worthwhile; to produce a net benefit) · ru распла́чиваться (to pay back; to repay) · ca compensar (to become worthwhile; to produce a net benefit) · nrf soudeyer (to bribe, especially to deter oversight) · hu kiegyenlít (to pay back; to repay) · pl opłacać (to pay back; to repay) · hu megveszteget (to bribe, especially to deter oversight) · ru покрыва́ть (to pay back (repay, pay off) the entirety of a loan, thereby effecting the release of a lien on) · fr payer (to pay back (repay, pay off) the entirety of a loan, thereby effecting the release of a lien on) · el ξεπληρώνω (to pay back; to repay) · ro merita (to become worthwhile; to produce a net benefit) · ru расплати́ться (to pay back; to repay) · hu lefizet (to bribe, especially to deter oversight) · pl opłacać się (to become worthwhile; to produce a net benefit) · ru вы́платить (to pay back (repay, pay off) the entirety of a loan, thereby effecting the release of a lien on) · it valere la pena (to become worthwhile; to produce a net benefit) · hu megér (to become worthwhile; to produce a net benefit) · hu kifizet (to pay back; to repay) · pl opłacić się (to become worthwhile; to produce a net benefit) · fi maksaa pois (to pay back; to repay) · ru покры́ть (to pay back (repay, pay off) the entirety of a loan, thereby effecting the release of a lien on) · nb amortisere (to pay back (repay, pay off) the entirety of a loan, thereby effecting the release of a lien on) · es valer la pena (to become worthwhile; to produce a net benefit) · fr acquitter (to pay back (repay, pay off) the entirety of a loan, thereby effecting the release of a lien on) · pl spłacać (to pay back; to repay) · be вы́плаціць (to pay back; to repay) · pl opłacić (to pay back; to repay) · hu beválik (to become worthwhile; to produce a net benefit) · de auszahlen (to pay back (repay, pay off) the entirety of a loan, thereby effecting the release of a lien on) · fi maksaa pois (to pay back (repay, pay off) the entirety of a loan, thereby effecting the release of a lien on) · fi maksaa (to pay back (repay, pay off) the entirety of a loan, thereby effecting the release of a lien on) · ru подкупи́ть (to bribe, especially to deter oversight) · el αποπληρώνω (to pay back; to repay) · nb bestikke (to bribe, especially to deter oversight) · de sich lohnen (to become worthwhile; to produce a net benefit) · hu visszafizet (to pay back; to repay) · ru подкупа́ть (to bribe, especially to deter oversight) · fi kannattaa (to become worthwhile; to produce a net benefit) · ro plăti înapoi (to pay back; to repay) · fi lahjoa (to bribe, especially to deter oversight) · el εξοφλώ (to pay back; to repay) · de bestechen (to bribe, especially to deter oversight) · nb avbetale (to pay back; to repay) · be выпла́чваць (to pay back; to repay)