1
as in paying
to give what is owed for
I finally paid off the loan
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in bribing
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 paying up
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of paying off
Brett Owens, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
His bat said that the work is perhaps paying off.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Sep. 2025
And this practice is finally paying off.
—Izzy Baskette, PEOPLE, 12 Sep. 2025
Maybe Kimmel’s backing of Colbert in the Emmys race is paying off with the audience.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2025
Never owning a house, never owning a car, never paying off their school.
—Ali Breland, The Atlantic, 26 Aug. 2025
Airport officials believed the city was moving money, which according to state law should be dedicated to paying off the bonds, to the city's general fund and then using it for purposes other than paying off the bonds.
—Arkansas Online, 19 Aug. 2025
The fruits of his labor are paying off here.
—Andrew Wright, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Aug. 2025
Its efforts appear to be paying off, with Anduril winning $63 million in contracts since 2019.
—Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 5 Aug. 2025
Noun
If a company has a lot of floating-rate assets (their portfolio lending) but also a healthy amount of floating-rate debt, a lower portfolio yield might be offset by a lower cost of paying off that debt.
—Brett Owens, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
His bat said that the work is perhaps paying off.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Sep. 2025
And this practice is finally paying off.
—Izzy Baskette, PEOPLE, 12 Sep. 2025
Maybe Kimmel’s backing of Colbert in the Emmys race is paying off with the audience.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2025
Never owning a house, never owning a car, never paying off their school.
—Ali Breland, The Atlantic, 26 Aug. 2025
Airport officials believed the city was moving money, which according to state law should be dedicated to paying off the bonds, to the city's general fund and then using it for purposes other than paying off the bonds.
—Arkansas Online, 19 Aug. 2025
The fruits of his labor are paying off here.
—Andrew Wright, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Aug. 2025
Its efforts appear to be paying off, with Anduril winning $63 million in contracts since 2019.
—Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 5 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for paying off
Verb
-
The average vehicle sells for nearly $50,000 and almost 20% of new car buyers are paying $1,000 or more a month, the report said.—
Betty Lin-Fisher,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Richard Linklater’s French-language black-and-white film Nouvelle Vague, paying tribute to the French New Wave movement, initially looked like one of the strongest candidates for the honor.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Chen was sentenced last month to 20 months in prison in a separate case for acting as an unregistered agent of the People’s Republic of China and bribing an Internal Revenue Service agent in New York.—
Richard Winton,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Dec. 2024
-
Chen was sentenced last month to 20 months in prison for acting as an unregistered agent of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and bribing an Internal Revenue Service agent.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA TODAY,
20 Dec. 2024
Noun
-
Be sure to factor in any loan acquisition fee or prepayment penalty, as well.—
Maya Benjamin,
CNBC,
20 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The following year, the group made its first acquisition by buying a controlling stake in FC Como Women, which competes in Italy’s top-tier women’s soccer league, Serie A Femminile.—
Asli Pelit,
New York Times,
11 Sep. 2025
-
As long as there are no other outbreaks, shoppers can expect cooler prices heading into the holiday season in addition to an abatement of egg-buying restrictions at grocery stores.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
This is a mismatch that risks prolonging underemployment for degree holders and even affecting earnings trajectories, graduate debt repayment and workforce planning across industries.—
Suzanne Blake,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Sep. 2025
-
More pressing problems, consumer advocates say Consumer advocates said the Education Department’s efforts could pull resources needed to address more pressing problems, including fixes for millions of borrowers who are unable to access affordable repayment options.—
Annie Nova,
CNBC,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The problem in the current system is that the provider’s services and the payment for those services are often on two very different timelines; despite having prior authorization, providers often do not receive reimbursement immediately after executing services.—
Forbes.com,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
-
As for the slow reimbursement rate, Edwards said the blame can be pointed in several directions.—
Briah Lumpkins,
Charlotte Observer,
9 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Paying off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/paying%20off. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share