Definition

1. Phrasal Verb:
   • To settle a debt in full: To completely repay money that is owed, such as a loan or a mortgage.
   • To yield a positive result or profit: To produce a successful or beneficial outcome, especially after effort, investment, or risk.
   • To bribe someone: To give someone money or a favor, often secretly, to influence their actions or decisions.
   • To get revenge on someone: To retaliate against someone or to settle a score (this usage is informal and less common).

Usage and Examples

• Settling a debt:

  • It took them fifteen years to pay off their mortgage.
  • She used her bonus to pay off her credit card balance.

• Yielding a positive result:

  • All her hard work studying paid off when she passed the exam.
  • The risky investment finally paid off with huge returns.

• Bribing someone:

  • The mobster tried to pay off the witness to change his testimony.
  • Corrupt officials were paid off to ignore the violations.

• Getting revenge (informal):

  • He vowed to pay off the person who betrayed him.

Advanced Usage and Nuances

• Intransitive vs. Transitive Use: When meaning "to yield a result," it is often intransitive (no direct object: ). When meaning "to settle a debt" or "to bribe," it is transitive and requires an object (, ).
• Figurative Use: The "yield a result" meaning is frequently used figuratively for non-financial gains, such as effort, patience, or strategy leading to success.
• Separability: This phrasal verb is separable. The object (e.g., , ) can often come between "pay" and "off."
  • He paid his debts off.
  • They paid the inspector off.

Variants and Related Words

• Payoff (noun): The result or benefit of an action; a bribe; the final payment.

  • The payoff for years of research was a groundbreaking discovery.
  • He was accused of accepting a payoff.

• Paid-off (adjective): Describes something that has been fully repaid.

  • They now live in a paid-off house.

Synonyms

• Settle: To pay what is owed (e.g., ).
• Succeed: To achieve a desired aim or result.
• Bribe: To persuade someone to act in one's favor by a gift of money or other inducement.
• Retaliate: To make an attack in return for a similar attack.

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Pay back: To return money that was borrowed; to retaliate.

  • I'll pay you back next week. (return money)
  • He wanted to pay her back for the insult. (retaliate)

• Pay out: To disburse or spend a large sum of money.

  • The insurance company paid out thousands for the claim.

Idioms and Common Phrases

• It pays off: Used to indicate that an effort or investment is worthwhile.

  • Being honest always pays off in the long run.

• To pay someone off: Specifically emphasizes the act of bribing a person.

  • The rumor was that the journalist was paid off to kill the story.

Verb

1. take vengeance on or get even
   • We'll get them!
   • That'll fix him good!
   • This time I got him
2. pay someone with influence in order to receive a favor
3. do or give something to somebody in return
   • Does she pay you for the work you are doing?
4. pay off (loans or promissory notes)
5. eliminate by paying off (debts)
6. yield a profit or result
   • His efforts finally paid off