1
as in pays
to give what is owed for
I finally paid off the loan
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in bribes
to influence someone with a bribe
she paid off the security guard so that she could steal whatever she liked
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pays off
Shopping discount/manager markdowns pays off Becky Shotts, 29, of Chattanooga, Tennessee has found savings by looking for discount markdowns by managers at her grocery store.
—
Betty Lin-Fisher, USA Today, 31 Oct. 2025
The conceit is risky but pays off.
—Literary Hub, 31 Oct. 2025
Get their money’s worth – make sure their major-league-leading $350 million payroll pays off.
—Mirjam Swanson, Oc Register, 17 Oct. 2025
Dodgers’ lineup construction pays off As last October neared, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts rearranged his lineup.
—Charlotte Varnes, New York Times, 5 Oct. 2025
Quick fixes rarely work—but a patient, consistent approach pays off.
—Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Sep. 2025
The idea is that your hard work one night, pays off two-fold when leftovers can be easily turned into a second, different recipe, the next day.
—Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 28 Sep. 2025
Patience pays off in this situation.
—Jim Osman, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025
Cianfrance also spent years talking with the real Jeff Manchester from prison in the 15-minute intervals allowed in an effort to do justice to the story, and that level of research pays off.
—Pete Hammond, Deadline, 6 Sep. 2025
Betty Lin-Fisher, USA Today, 31 Oct. 2025
The conceit is risky but pays off.
—Literary Hub, 31 Oct. 2025
Get their money’s worth – make sure their major-league-leading $350 million payroll pays off.
—Mirjam Swanson, Oc Register, 17 Oct. 2025
Dodgers’ lineup construction pays off As last October neared, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts rearranged his lineup.
—Charlotte Varnes, New York Times, 5 Oct. 2025
Quick fixes rarely work—but a patient, consistent approach pays off.
—Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Sep. 2025
The idea is that your hard work one night, pays off two-fold when leftovers can be easily turned into a second, different recipe, the next day.
—Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 28 Sep. 2025
Patience pays off in this situation.
—Jim Osman, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025
Cianfrance also spent years talking with the real Jeff Manchester from prison in the 15-minute intervals allowed in an effort to do justice to the story, and that level of research pays off.
—Pete Hammond, Deadline, 6 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pays off
Verb
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Prince Andrew ⬆ Stripped of titles, evicted from his mansion, becomes Andrew Mountbatten Windsor—yet King Charles pays his rent at Sandringham for life.—
Newsweek Staff,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Oct. 2025
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When a customer pays cash and doesn't have exact change, the purchase total is rounded down by as much as two cents or up by as much two cents.—
Mike Snider,
USA Today,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In one of the film’s most madcap and darkly comedic moments, Linda bribes her daughter with the promise of a pet hamster — who turns out to be a biter, desperate to escape its box.—
Rachel Brodsky,
Rolling Stone,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In the most severe cases, the state pays up to $86,000 annually for a person’s home care, Reiskin said.—
Meg Wingerter,
Denver Post,
20 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Still, Luna’s harmonious trine to the sun in Scorpio reminds us that there’s so much more than meets the eye.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
31 Oct. 2025
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This is the promise of the process developed by researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, which output a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), which meets all current industry standards without requiring blending with fossil fuels.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Every company in the Fortune 500 Europe top 10 has roots from before the Second World War.—
Adam Gale,
Fortune,
29 Oct. 2025
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Besides being one of the best ways to stay warm, puffer jackets are also unbelievably packable, much like this Eddie Bauer down jacket that has insulation for chilly days but can be folded or rolled to practically half its size.—
Kelsey Glennon,
Travel + Leisure,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Which means things could still get even more complicated if Paramount buys HBO Max before 2026, when Hollywood Arts makes its streaming debut.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
24 Oct. 2025
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Normington will appear in Episode 307 as Alaia Jade, a sensitive pop star who buys a convent in hopes of turning it into a recording studio.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Everything about the scene seduces the viewer into what dining while traveling in the most luxurious fashion could be, and once was.—
Kristin L. Wolfe,
Forbes.com,
27 Aug. 2025
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In his youth, the blue-eyed Stamp was widely considered one of the most handsome men onscreen, and Italian director Pier Paolo Pasolini used that to peculiar effect in Teorema (1968), casting the actor as a nameless and wordless visitor who seduces an entire household.—
Rhett Bartlett,
HollywoodReporter,
17 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pays off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pays%20off. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025.
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