Dictionary

pay-off en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈpeɪ.ɒf/
• /ˈpeɪ.ɔːf/
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

Deverbal from pay off.

Meanings

1. A payment in full; the state of having been paid in full.
   • At the current monthly payment level, it'll take 32 more months to reach pay-off.
2. A reward.
   • What's the pay-off for putting up with her nonsense for ages on end?
3. A return on investment.
   • How soon could we realistically expect any pay-off from loading up on shares of that company?
4. (informal) A bribe.
   • The prison break never could have succeeded if it hadn't been for multiple pay-offs to various corrupt officers.
   • Darlinghurst cops will get you/Clean and bright/Rich and white/See where pay-offs will get you 1981 September, “Sex and Vice”, in Songs of the Gay Liberation Quire:
5. (colloquial, especially) A resolution or justification of an event that has already occurred.
   • If there is a significant or surprising event in the story, it must be foreshadowed earlier on. When the event that was foreshadowed occurs, that's the payoff. 2013, Heide Goody, Iain Grant, How to Write a Collaborative Novel, Pigeon Park Press, →ISBN:
   • Where's the pay-off for that whole segment of the plot?
   • In a surprising pay-off, [Michael] Moritz says he has applied for citizenship of Germany, the country where so many family members were murdered. 2026 January 24, Richard Waters, “A displaced life”, in FT Weekend (Life & Arts section), London: The Financial Times Ltd., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 8:
6. (abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis) Ellipsis of payoff pitch.
   alt of payoff pitch
   • The bases are loaded, so he'd better make the pay-off count.

Forms

Deriveds

payoff function · payoff pitch

Relateds

payback · paydown

Synonyms

tea money · douceur · kopi money · coffee money · dash · payola · bribe · pay-off · sweetener · inducement · backhander · bung · subornation · payoff · cold drink money

Translations (52)

bg подкуп (a bribe) · ro răsplată (a reward) · es pago (a payment) · nl beloning (a reward) · es soborno (a bribe) · bg награда (a reward) · eo ŝmirmono (a bribe) · pt recompensa (a reward) · pl rozliczenie (a payment) · pt pagamento (a payment) · ca retribució (a payment) · is vinningur (a reward) · pl spłata (a payment) · cmn 付清 (a payment) · es retribución (a reward) · da udbytte (a payment) · fr rétribution (a payment) · fi lahjus (a bribe) · bg възнаграждение (a reward) · ru пла́та (a payment) · gl pagamento (a payment) · de Auszahlung (a payment) · ru вознагражде́ние (a reward) · gl suborno (a bribe) · fr récompense (a reward) · ru вы́плата (a payment) · cmn 獎勵 /奖励 (a reward) · de Schmiergeldzahlung (a bribe) · cmn 還清 /还清 (a payment) · da belønning (a reward) · ca recompensa (a reward) · fi palkkio (a reward) · fi maksu (a payment) · da bestikkelse (a bribe) · fr pot-de-vin (a bribe) · pl nagroda (a reward) · gl recompensa (a reward) · de Schmiergeld (a bribe) · cmn 賄賂 /贿赂 (a bribe) · es provecho (a reward) · ro plată (a payment) · pl łapówka (a bribe) · es recompensa (a reward) · ro retribuție (a payment) · ro mită (a bribe) · ru платёж (a payment) · cmn 報酬 /报酬 (a reward) · de Bestechungsgeld (a bribe) · pt suborno (a bribe) · ru взя́тка (a bribe) · de Ausgleichszahlung (a reward) · bg плащане (a payment)