as in revenge
the act or an instance of responding to an injury with an injury
we are hoping to get payback for the humiliating defeat we suffered at the hands of our rivals during our last matchup
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
pay back
2 of 2phrase
as in reimburse
to make a return payment to
I already paid back what I owed you for groceries.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of payback
Sean Rameswaram, Vox, 2 May 2025
Many of his statements reviewed by NPR suggest motivations based on personal grievances, partisan politics and a desire for payback.
—Tom Dreisbach, NPR, 29 Apr. 2025
As a form of payback, the OP asked her 38-year-old friend to pretend to be her boyfriend and accompany her to Easter dinner with her father and his younger partner.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Apr. 2025
However, after Daly previously morphed Coel's Shania into a monstrous alien creature as payback for her stepping in to defend Nannette from one of Daly's assaults, Brooker's new story reveals her grim fate amid the video game's contentious landscape.
—Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 10 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for payback
Noun
But Bolton wouldn’t go that far, even after 100 days of payback.
—Sean Rameswaram, Vox, 2 May 2025
Many of his statements reviewed by NPR suggest motivations based on personal grievances, partisan politics and a desire for payback.
—Tom Dreisbach, NPR, 29 Apr. 2025
As a form of payback, the OP asked her 38-year-old friend to pretend to be her boyfriend and accompany her to Easter dinner with her father and his younger partner.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Apr. 2025
However, after Daly previously morphed Coel's Shania into a monstrous alien creature as payback for her stepping in to defend Nannette from one of Daly's assaults, Brooker's new story reveals her grim fate amid the video game's contentious landscape.
—Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 10 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for payback
Recent Examples of Synonyms for payback
Noun
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More than revenge Like all presidents, Trump needs allies who will faithfully implement his policy agenda.—
Erica Frantz,
The Conversation,
16 May 2025
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The stakes escalate with a mordant velocity reminiscent of Park Chan-wook’s revenge sagas, a point of reference that continues through the darkly funny — and patently absurd — coda that Aster tacks on to the end of his film’s pulse-pounding final shootout.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
16 May 2025
Noun
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The few lamenting Pete Rose’s reinstatement to Major League Baseball are speaking from the ideology of punishment as retribution, not correction.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
17 May 2025
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According to the employee, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of retribution, that happened as music and sports events at nearby venues were ending.—
Muri Assunção,
New York Daily News,
16 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Payback.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/payback. Accessed 2 Jun. 2025.
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