释义
[ pey -awf, -of ] SHOW IPA
/ ˈpeɪˌɔf, -ˌɒf / PHONETIC RESPELLING
SEE SYNONYMS FOR payoff ON THESAURUS.COM
noun the payment of a salary, debt, wager, etc.
the time at which such payment is made.
the consequence, outcome, or final sequence in a series of events, actions, or circumstances: The payoff was when they fired him.
Informal . the climax of something, especially a story or joke.
a settlement or reckoning, as in retribution or reward.
SEE MORE SEE LESS adjective yielding results, especially rewarding or decisive results: The payoff play was the long pass into the end zone.
Origin of payoff First recorded in 1910–15; noun, adj. use of verb phrase pay off
SYNONYMS FOR payoff 3 climax, upshot, finale.
SEE SYNONYMS FOR payoff ON THESAURUS.COM
Words nearby payoff payment, payment by results, Payne, Payne operation, paynim, payoff , payola, pay one's dues, pay one's respects, pay one's way, payout
Dictionary.com UnabridgedBased on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for payoff Critics accused Foster of giving Duke a payoff to stay out of the race; that was never proven.
The Louisiana Racists Who Courted Steve Scalise | Jason Berry| January 3, 2015| DAILY BEAST
If we enter with science and respect, the payoff will last generations.
For Rent: Priceless Historic Sites | Elinor Betesh| November 16, 2014| DAILY BEAST
He wants “more than a handout, a payoff , hush money, or a reluctant bribe.”
America Is Coming to Terms with Its Racial Past—Let’s Look Ahead Instead | John McWhorter| May 22, 2014| DAILY BEAST
The sentence is dictated by statute and therefore the defendant gets next to no payoff for his guilty plea.
How Justin Bieber Can Beat His DUI | Eboni K. Williams| February 26, 2014| DAILY BEAST
But, they more than payoff as a chance to see classic, clever sketch comedy in its earliest days of television.
Sid Caesar’s 5 Funniest Moments | Emily Shire| February 13, 2014| DAILY BEAST
After weeks of neglecting his tip sheet to study catatonia, he felt close to the payoff .
At the Post | Horace Leonard Gold
Suppose the Elsinore had persisted in her refusal to payoff ?
The Mutiny of the Elsinore | Jack London
De Quille had not missed the opportunity of his comrade's absence to payoff some old scores.
Mark Twain, A Biography, 1835-1910, Complete | Albert Bigelow Paine
And the duke went away, promising to payoff the gentlemen for their interruption.
Chicot the Jester | Alexandre Dumas, Pere
"Now it's all over but the payoff ," thought Jerry, waiting for Mr. Bartlett to make out the grocery slip.
Jerry's Charge Account | Hazel Hutchins Wilson
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British Dictionary definitions for payoff verb (tr, adverb) to pay all that is due in wages, etc, and discharge from employment
(tr, adverb) to pay the complete amount of (a debt, bill, etc)
(intr, adverb) to turn out to be profitable, effective, etc the gamble paid off
(tr, adverb or intr, preposition ) to take revenge on (a person) or for (a wrong done) to pay someone off for an insult
(tr, adverb) informal to give a bribe to
(intr, adverb) nautical (of a vessel) to make leeway
SEE MORE SEE LESS noun payoff the final settlement, esp in retribution the payoff came when the gang besieged the squealer's house
informal the climax, consequence, or outcome of events, a story, etc, esp when unexpected or improbable
the final payment of a debt, salary, etc
the time of such a payment
informal a bribe
SEE MORE SEE LESS Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Idioms and Phrases with payoff 1 Pay the full amount on a debt or on wages, as in The car's finally paid off , or Les pays off the workers every Friday evening . [Early 1700s]
2 Produce a profit, as in That gamble did not pay off . [Mid-1900s]
3 Also, pay off an old score . Get revenge on someone for some grievance, require, as in Jerry was satisfied; he'd paid off his ex-partner when he bought him out at half-price , or Amy went out with her roommate's boyfriend, but she was paying off and old score .
4 Bribe, as in The owner of the bar paid off the local police so he wouldn't get in trouble for serving liquor to minors . [Colloquial ; c. 1900]
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
Words related to payoff consequence, outcome, reward, payment, settlement, retribution, culmination, pay, finale, clincher, result, upshot, adjustment, judgment, day of reckoning, moment of truth, punch line