1
: requital
2
: a return on an investment equal to the original capital outlay
also
: the period of time elapsed before an investment is recouped
Examples of payback in a Sentence
They beat our team last year, so we've got to beat them this year as payback.
we are hoping to get payback for the humiliating defeat we suffered at the hands of our rivals during our last matchup
Recent Examples on the Web
Notably, the agreement avoids any direct debt obligations and eliminates the original $500 billion payback target.
—
Katya Soldak, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2025
Trump has also previously claimed in an interview that a deal would give the U.S. access to $500 billion worth of rare earth minerals and that this would be payback for aid already received by Kyiv.
—Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 26 Feb. 2025
Some lawyers have been moved to other enforcement teams, and a top lawyer on many crypto cases was moved entirely out of the enforcement division — action seem by some as payback to the crypto community.
—Matthew Goldstein, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2025
The moment with the crowd was some payback for what happened last season – when McNeeley was still a five-star recruit and the Creighton students stormed the court after a blowout of the eventual national champions, some exchanging words with Hurley on his way out.
—Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 12 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for payback
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Katya Soldak, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2025
Trump has also previously claimed in an interview that a deal would give the U.S. access to $500 billion worth of rare earth minerals and that this would be payback for aid already received by Kyiv.
—Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 26 Feb. 2025
Some lawyers have been moved to other enforcement teams, and a top lawyer on many crypto cases was moved entirely out of the enforcement division — action seem by some as payback to the crypto community.
—Matthew Goldstein, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2025
The moment with the crowd was some payback for what happened last season – when McNeeley was still a five-star recruit and the Creighton students stormed the court after a blowout of the eventual national champions, some exchanging words with Hurley on his way out.
—Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 12 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for payback
Cite this Entry
“Payback.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/payback. Accessed 6 Mar. 2025.
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