payback

noun

pay·​back ˈpā-ˌbak 

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

Synonyms

• reprisal
• requital
• retaliation
• retribution
• revenge
• vengeance

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

However, like first-party SNTs, ABLE accounts may be subject to Medicaid payback after the individual with a disability dies. —Hannah Frances Johansson, CNN, 13 Sep. 2024

The goal is to produce trucks with a one-year payback. —Steve Banker, Forbes, 10 Sep. 2024

But the Harris campaign and its labor allies saw an opportunity for payback. —Daniel Klaidman, CBS News, 26 Aug. 2024

Private Jet Card Comparisons, which receives no commission or paybacks from providers in the report, doesn’t perform financial due diligence on the providers. —Michael Verdon, Robb Report, 7 Aug. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1718, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing payback

• payback time