pay off1
informal (Of a course of action) yield good results; succeed: all the hard work I had done over the summer paid off...
- In some cases of course, it can pay off handsomely, if the company makes a decent recovery.
- We can only hope that, in the long term, the gamble pays off.
- When we invest ourselves in our children, it often pays off in surprising ways.
Synonyms
meet with success, be successful, succeed, be effective, work, get results, be profitable
See parent entry: pay
pay-off2
/ˈpeɪɒf
/noun informal
1A payment made to someone, especially as a bribe or on leaving a job: he left the company with an £800,000 pay-off...
- Are the pay-offs and bribes more important than these boys or putting an end to such nonsense?
- Board members come and go with huge pay-offs and bonuses no matter how successful.
- But, in the absence of unlikely impeachment procedures, a substantial pay-off appears to be the only real option open to the Government to encourage the judge to resign.
Synonyms
payment, payout, reward, recompense, consideration;
bribe, inducement, ‘incentive’, enticement;
North American payola
informal kickback, sweetener, carrot, backhander, hush money, slush fund, cut, graft
British informal bung, dropsy
North American informal plugola, schmear
Australian informal sling
rare douceur, drop
1.1The return on investment or on a bet: the potential pay-off is enormous...
- Thus, the pay-off on investment was high where there was an expanding labour force with which more capital could be put to work.
- The Democrats' strategy also holds a potential pay-off for another reason.
- The more sets a player completes, the higher the potential pay-off if they win.
Synonyms
return, return on investment, yield, payback, reward, profit, gain, income, revenue, interest, dividend, percentage
1.2A final outcome or result: the restructuring of the last few years was supposed to have a big pay-off...
- What will be broadcast this weekend is one of his favourites from a year or two back, with an updated introduction and a final pay-off.
- Which is a shame, because the final pay-off is worthwhile, and despite all the frustrations I did enjoy it.
- Working towards daily bliss, a little at a time, can have big pay-offs in terms of lasting beauty that stems from deep within you.
Synonyms
outcome, denouement, culmination, conclusion, development, result, consequence, out-turn, end result, upshot, aftermath
archaic success