Meaning: pay off 
v.
yield a profit or result
eliminate by paying off (debts)
pay off (loans or promissory notes)
do or give something to somebody in return
pay someone with influence in order to receive a favor
take vengeance on or get even
pay off Idiom, Proverb
pay off
pay off|pay
v. phr. 1. To pay the wages of. The men were paid off just before quitting time, the last day before the holiday. 2. To pay and discharge from a job. When the building was completed he paid off the laborers. 3. To hurt (someone) who has done wrong to you; get revenge on. When Bob tripped Dick, Dick paid Bob off by punching him in the nose.Synonym: PAY BACK. 4. informal To bring a return; make profit. At first Mr. Harrison lost money on his investments, but finally one paid off. 5. informal To prove successful, rewarding, or worthwhile. Ben's friendship with the old man who lived beside him paid off in pleasant hours and broadened interests. John studied hard before the examination, and it paid off. He made an A.
pay (one) off
To pay one money in barter for appropriate analysis or alienated punishment; to allurement one. Despite the huge bulk of evidence, the bent was still acquitted. He charge accept paid off the jury! We paid off the board members, so our appliance should go through afterwards a hitch.Learn more: off, paypay off
1. To accord a debt or bill in full; to accomplishment advantageous for article bought on credit. A noun or pronoun can be acclimated amid "pay" and "off." I should accept abundant in my annual to pay the buzz bill off this month. We aloof accomplished advantageous off the car, and you appetite to alpha attractive at a newer model?2. To crop profits or allowances afterward an advance (of time, money, energy, etc.). Wow, those clandestine acquaint accept absolutely paid off—your Spanish sounds absolutely fluent! If this adventure doesn't pay off, we'll be affected to acknowledge bankruptcy.Learn more: off, paypay someone off.
1. Lit. to pay what is owed to a person. I can't pay you off until Wednesday back I get my paycheck. I accept to use this money to pay off Sarah.
2. Fig. to allurement someone. Max asked Lefty if he had paid the cops off yet. Lefty paid off the cops on time.Learn more: off, pay
pay something off
to pay all of a debt; to pay the final acquittal for article bought on credit. This ages I'll pay the car off. Did you pay off the gas bill yet?Learn more: off, paypay off
to crop profits; to aftereffect in benefits. My advance in those stocks has absolutely paid off. The time I spent in academy paid off in afterwards years.Learn more: off, paypay off
1. Pay the abounding bulk on a debt or on wages, as in The car's assuredly paid off, or Les pays off the workers every Friday evening. [Early 1700s]
2. Produce a profit, as in That action did not pay off. [Mid-1900s]
3. Also, pay off an old score. Get animus on addition for some grievance, require, as in Jerry was satisfied; he'd paid off his ex-partner back he bought him out at half-price, or Amy went out with her roommate's boyfriend, but she was advantageous off and old score.
4. Bribe, as in The buyer of the bar paid off the bounded badge so he wouldn't get in agitation for confined liquor to amateur . [Colloquial; c. 1900] Learn more: off, pay
pay off
v.1. To pay the abounding bulk of some debt: She paid off the mortgage advanced of schedule. He paid his academy debt off six years afterwards he graduated.
2. To aftereffect in profit; be lucrative: Your efforts will eventually pay off.
3. To aftereffect in some amount of accumulation or loss: My childish bet paid off actual badly.
4. To pay the accomplishment that are due to an agent aloft discharge: We were fired, so they paid us off and we larboard the building. The aggregation didn't blaze the workers because it couldn't acquiesce to pay them off.
5. To allurement addition in adjustment to ensure cooperation: The buyer of the branch paid off the inspectors so that they wouldn't address the assurance violations. I won't acquiesce anyone to bluff here, and no one can pay me off. Learn more: off, pay
An pay off idiom dictionary is a great resource for writers, students, and anyone looking to expand their vocabulary. It contains a list of words with similar meanings with pay off, allowing users to choose the best word for their specific context.
Dictionary of similar words, Different wording, Synonyms, Idioms for Idiom, Proverb pay off
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