pay off
Third Person
pays off
Present Participle
paying off
Past Tense
paid off
Past Participle
paid off
1
(of a plan or action) to succeed and have good results
- All those hours of studying really paid off during the exam.
- Their investment in the startup paid off when the company went public.
- His dedication to training paid off when he won the gold medal.
- They hoped that the marketing campaign would pay off in increased sales.
- Patience and perseverance often pay off in the long run.
2
to give the full amount of money owed on a debt or loan
transitive
- She finally paid off her student loans after ten years.
- I can't wait to pay my mortgage off and own the house outright.
- After inheriting some money, he decided to pay off all his credit card debts.
- Once we pay the remaining amount off, we won't have any more debt.
- The business loan took five years to pay off.
Synonyms:
3
to get revenge on someone for something they did
transitive
- They waited for the right moment to pay the bullies off.
- Mark was always looking for a chance to pay off his old rivals.
- Wait till the final game; we'll pay them off for the defeat they gave us last season.
- She's just trying to pay her ex-boyfriend off by dating his best friend.
- He vowed to pay off those who betrayed him.
4
to give something back to someone in return for something they did
transitive
- To pay him off for his years of service, they named a building after him.
- They paid off the neighbors with a lavish dinner for watching their house while they were away.
- I paid him off with kindness for all the help he offered.
- As a gesture, the community paid the firefighters off with a celebration.
Synonyms:
5
to give someone money, often secretly, to get a favor or advantage
transitive
- Politicians shouldn't be allowed to be paid off by corporations.
- To avoid heavy fines, the business owner tried to pay the inspector off.
- Some believe that he paid off the referees to help his team win.
- Paying off officials was a common practice in that region.
- It was rumored that the judge was paid off to rule in their favor.
Synonyms:
6
to give someone a final payment when their job ends
transitive
- The economic crisis meant they had to pay off many experienced employees.
- The factory paid all the redundant workers off with a good package.
- He was paid off after ten years of loyal service.
- After the merger, they had to pay off half the staff.
- The company decided to pay off several workers due to budget cuts.