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as in to bribe
to influence someone with a bribe
she paid off the security guard so that she could steal whatever she liked
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in profit
the amount of money left when expenses are subtracted from the total amount received
the payoff on the investment was only about $500
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in pivotal
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pay off
Jason Lange, USA TODAY, 13 Mar. 2025
The measure, led by Sen. John Fetterman (Pa.), states the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) would pay off outstanding meal debt.
—Lexi Lonas Cochran, The Hill, 13 Mar. 2025
Kyle Newman, The Denver Post, 14 Mar. 2025
Estimates of the payoff from the Inflation Reduction Act’s IRS spending increase range from $561 billion in cumulative additional revenue through 2031 (and $861 billion if the spending increase were extended to 2034) to roughly breakeven.
—Justin Fox, Twin Cities, 13 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pay off
Verb
Forty-one percent of respondents overall - and just 5% if Democrats - said Trump's policies would pay off eventually.
—Jason Lange, USA TODAY, 13 Mar. 2025
The measure, led by Sen. John Fetterman (Pa.), states the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) would pay off outstanding meal debt.
—Lexi Lonas Cochran, The Hill, 13 Mar. 2025
Noun
For a team with zero club basketball players and a roster full of players who have grown up together, Crowder says the payoff of making the title game is even sweeter.
—Kyle Newman, The Denver Post, 14 Mar. 2025
Estimates of the payoff from the Inflation Reduction Act’s IRS spending increase range from $561 billion in cumulative additional revenue through 2031 (and $861 billion if the spending increase were extended to 2034) to roughly breakeven.
—Justin Fox, Twin Cities, 13 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pay off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pay off
Verb
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Con Edison also paid more than $130 million in charges associated with the 11-month outage at the plant.—
Spencer Kimball,
CNBC,
22 Mar. 2025
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The organization has received several grants, and is now trying to raise funds to pay for staff.—
Christine Ro,
Forbes,
22 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Tom Seidler, now the Padres’ vice president of community and international impact, bribed John’s 10-year-old son to work on his dad regarding the ubiquitous Petco park chant.—
Kevin Acee,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Mar. 2025
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Sure, Zachary Beck has had his business absorbed into that of a more violent and ruthless arms merchant, but his sins are far worse than just bribing customs officials to avoid import duties on rugs or whatever.—
Chris Klimek,
Vulture,
13 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The idea of an investment obligation is based on the French model so that the profits [from the streamers] don’t flow untaxed to the USA, so to speak.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
26 Mar. 2025
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Southern European countries wanted contributions to be relative to their GDP and asked the EU to find other funding sources, such as the remaining profits generated by Russia's frozen assets.—
Paul Du Quenoy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Gherardi was a pivotal figure in the eyewear industry.—
Ryma Chikhoune,
WWD,
20 Mar. 2025
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The immersive experience will allow fans to dive into the universe of the Colombian artist through thematic spaces showcasing her evolution, creative process, and pivotal moments in her career.—
Natalia Cano,
Billboard,
20 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The Pisces moon meeting Venus and Neptune deepens an emotional connection.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
28 Mar. 2025
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Their new album Rushmere is named after where the band originally met in Wimbledon.—
Marina Watts,
People.com,
28 Mar. 2025
Verb
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In essence, people who lease a car today are helping to buy Tesla a fleet for tomorrow.—
Dev Patnaik,
Forbes,
18 Mar. 2025
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In January 2022, CJ turned heads by buying an 80% majority stake in Fifth Season (formerly Endeavor Content), before selling 25% of its ownership stake to Japanese studio Toho in December 2023.—
Sara Merican,
Deadline,
17 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The arrest and recent imprisonment of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu sent shockwaves through Turkey, marking a decisive shift toward full autocracy.—
Bilal Bilici,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Mar. 2025
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Sending pinch-runner Jason Heyward from first base to third base in the decisive four-run seventh inning, Tatis peppered reliever Hector Neris’ sinker to center field.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Travis weeks earlier cited as the deciding and unprecedented factor.—
Chris Vannini,
The Athletic,
9 Dec. 2024
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As a result of the split, Sheboygan city residents play no deciding role in either of the two districts, which both lean heavily Republican.—
Journal Sentinel,
Journal Sentinel,
9 Jan. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Pay off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pay%20off. Accessed 1 Apr. 2025.
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