pay·off

(pā′ôf′, -ŏf′)

1. The return on an investment.

2. The discharge of a debt or obligation.

3. The benefit gained as the result of a previous action.

4. The climax of a narrative or sequence of events.

5. An amount paid to a plaintiff to settle a lawsuit out of court.

6. A bribe.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

pay•off

(ˈpeɪˌɔf, -ˌɒf)

n.

1. the payment of a salary, debt, wager, etc.

2. the time at which such payment is made.

3. Informal. the outcome of a series of events or circumstances; climax.

4. a settlement or reckoning, as in retribution or reward.

5. Informal. bribe.

[1910–15]

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun	1.	payoff - the final payment of a debt final payment payment - a sum of money paid or a claim discharged
	2.	payoff - payment made to a person in a position of trust to corrupt his judgment bribe payment - a sum of money paid or a claim discharged hush money - a bribe paid to someone to insure that something is kept secret kickback - a commercial bribe paid by a seller to a purchasing agent in order to induce the agent to enter into the transaction payola - a bribe given to a disc jockey to induce him to promote a particular record soap - money offered as a bribe
	3.	payoff - the income or profit arising from such transactions as the sale of land or other property; "the average return was about 5%" proceeds, take, takings, yield, return, issue income - the financial gain (earned or unearned) accruing over a given period of time economic rent, rent - the return derived from cultivated land in excess of that derived from the poorest land cultivated under similar conditions payback - financial return or reward (especially returns equal to the initial investment)
	4.	payoff - a recompense for worthy acts or retribution for wrongdoing; "the wages of sin is death"; "virtue is its own reward" reward, wages aftermath, consequence - the outcome of an event especially as relative to an individual

payoff

noun

1. bribe, incentive, cut (informal), payment, sweetener (informal), bung (Brit. informal), inducement, kick-back (informal), backhander (informal), hush money (informal) payoffs from drugs exporters

2. settlement, payment, reward, payout, recompense a $1m divorce payoff

3. (Informal) outcome, result, consequence, conclusion, climax, finale, culmination, the crunch (informal), upshot, moment of truth, clincher (informal), punch line The payoff of the novel is patently predictable.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

payoff

noun

1. Informal. The highest point or state:

acme, apex, apogee, climax, crest, crown, culmination, height, meridian, peak, pinnacle, summit, top, zenith.

Medicine: fastigium.

2. Informal. Money, property, or a favor given, offered, or promised to a person or accepted by a person in a position of trust as an inducement to dishonest behavior:

bribe, fix, graft, payola.

Slang: boodle.

Translations

Abfindung

rentabilité

payoff

[ˈpeɪɒf] N

1. (= payment) → pago m; [of debt] → liquidación f (total)

2. (= reward) → recompensa f, beneficios mpl

3. (= vengeance) → ajuste m de cuentas, castigo m

4. (= bribe) → soborno m, coima f (Andes, S. Cone), mordida f (CAm, Mex)

5. (= final outcome, climax) → momento m decisivo, desenlace m

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

payoff

pay-off [ˈpeɪɒf] n

(= benefit) → avantage m
the payoff from sth → l'avantage de qch

(to potential trouble-maker) → pot-de-vin m

(to employee) → grosse prime f de départpay offer n → augmentation f proposée

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

payoff

[ˈpeɪˌɒf] n (fam) (payment) → saldo; (reward) → ricompensa; (retribution) → resa dei conti; (of joke) → finale m

Mentioned in

References in periodicals archive

Dahrell Caranguian unloaded nine of his 22 points in the payoff frame as he spearheaded the Energy Drink's crippling 21-0 run that turned a 79-61 deficit with 8:24 remaining to an 82-79 lead with 2:32 to play.

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Regional Acceptance Corporation, an auto finance company specialising in sub-prime automotive financing and prime-to-near-prime portfolio acquisitions, has selected Dealertrack Accelerated Title to develop efficiencies in its payoff and title release process with dealers accepting cars in on trade.

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A decline in bluefin tuna despite abundant prey resources was puzzling, so the researchers tested hypotheses related to the energetic payoff of eating herring of various sizes, comparing this across different regions of the northwest Atlantic.

Size of Prey Matters Most

Given the concentration and binary risk of the top three loans in the pool, a Negative Outlook was assigned which indicates that downgrades are possible if the McHugh Portfolio does not payoff or if expected losses increase.

Fitch Ratings affirms 12 classes of Credit Suisse 2008-C1

Let us start by considering that the goal each agent pursues is to get a payoff as high as possible.

ON RATIONALITY IN THE TRAVELER'S DILEMMA

Payoff, a financial wellness company, has partnered with Chicago-based Alliant Credit Union to help consumers eliminate high-interest rate credit card debt with the Payoff Loan program, the company said.

Payoff, Alliant Credit Union to help Americans eliminate high-interest credit card debt

It was reported that Dave Smith, who left as Sunderland City Council chief executive weeks after a damning Ofsted report, received a payoff of PS625,570 in 2015/16.

Secrecy over public pay-off costs us dear; Letters

It was reported that Dave Smith, former CEO of Sunderland, who left as chief executive weeks after a damning Ofsted report, received a payoff of PS625,570 in 2015/16 and, in Birmingham, the officer previously responsible for waste management received a payoff of PS414,100 in that same year.

Secrecy surrounds chief exec pay-off [...]

The net present value and the payoff time of the additional investments were calculated for the representative spinning mills.

Investments in spinning cans with 1200 mm diameter Cost efficiency and effects on manual work