How to Use pay dirt in a Sentence

pay dirt

noun
  • Smith-Wade hit pay dirt in Week 3.
    — Charlotte Observer, 22 Sep. 2025
  • Wells’ path to pay dirt in the south end of the Swamp had not been a smooth one.
    — Edgar Thompson, orlandosentinel.com, 9 Sep. 2021
  • This was the first time that Martin has hit pay dirt, though, this season.
    — Aaron Wilson, Houston Chronicle, 22 Nov. 2019
  • Sometimes a bobber and bait are all that’s needed to hit crappie pay dirt.
    — Bob McNally, Field & Stream, 20 Mar. 2023
  • The hosts found pay dirt late in the quarter with a drive that featured English.
    — Nathan Cambridge, Burbank Leader, 30 Aug. 2019
  • Jalen Hurts finds pay dirt with 12 minutes left in the fourth quarter.
    — Jim Reineking, USA TODAY, 20 Dec. 2024
  • In other states, however, the group appears to have struck pay dirt.
    — Tim Evans, The Indianapolis Star, 11 Nov. 2020
  • On fourth-and-one from the 9, Salvon Ahmed hits pay dirt for the tying score.
    — oregonlive, 19 Oct. 2019
  • Colin Farren found pay dirt three times for Stoneham in the first round.
    — Nate Weitzer, BostonGlobe.com, 6 Nov. 2022
  • The hosts punted on their next possession and Mounds View again drove for pay dirt.
    — Tris Wykes, Twin Cities, 27 Sep. 2025
  • At issue is the treatment of what fund managers collect when one of their investments hits pay dirt.
    — Tory Newmyer, Washington Post, 21 Dec. 2017
  • Within hours of a second volley emailed March 11, the hackers hit pay dirt.
    — Raphael Satter, Washington Post, 3 Nov. 2017
  • Even after six years living in Madrid, scoring a free tapa with every drink still feels like hitting pay dirt to me.
    — Benjamin Kemper, Bon Appétit, 21 Dec. 2020
  • On the third and goal from the 7 in double OT, Nichols raced to the left edge and found pay dirt for the win.
    — Matt Doherty, BostonGlobe.com, 30 Sep. 2022
  • The Tigers hit pay dirt again minutes later when Lawrence went untouched on a read option for a one-yard score.
    — Scooby Axson, SI.com, 14 Sep. 2019
  • The Huskers hit pay dirt in the second quarter on a Markese Stepp 2-yard touchdown run.
    — Scooby Axson, USA TODAY, 28 Aug. 2021
  • And about 100 miles from Alla's apartment, Nadia hits pay dirt.
    — Peter Van Sant july 7, CBS News, 7 July 2018
  • The big play was a 45-yard pass reception by Burnham over the middle to set the ball up one yard away from pay dirt.
    — Nathan Cambridge, Burbank Leader, 19 Sep. 2019
  • Fraser was a prospector working a gulch below Wagontown in the Owyhees, closing in on pay dirt.
    — David Roper, idahostatesman, 21 Oct. 2017
  • Credell, who scored all three Aberdeen touchdowns, ran 65 yards to pay dirt with the Eagles’ first snap.
    — Randy McRoberts, baltimoresun.com, 9 Oct. 2021
  • Police quickly hit pay dirt in the apartment of Danny Lugo's girlfriend.
    — Troy Roberts, CBS News, 8 Apr. 2026
  • The Cardinals set the tone from the start, finding pay dirt on each of its first three possessions en route to a 21-0 lead.
    — Austin Opfer, cleveland, 11 Nov. 2022
  • The Zips finally found pay dirt as Auburn emptied the bench in the final 15 minutes of action.
    — Evan Dudley, al, 4 Sep. 2021
  • Don’t be surprised if Elliott takes a short pass in the red zone to pay dirt after making Kiser or Reeder miss in the open field.
    — John Owning, Dallas News, 10 Sep. 2020
  • Stanford opened the scoring on a 25-yard field goal by Joshua Karty and hit pay dirt after one of Oregon's rare turnovers.
    — Scooby Axson, USA TODAY, 2 Oct. 2021
  • Three plays later, sophomore running back Zach Fultz touched pay dirt to cut the lead in half at 14-7 just inside seven minutes left in the half.
    — Erik Anderson, Boston Herald, 27 Nov. 2025
  • This is, of course, following in the footsteps of the Halloween franchise, which hit pay dirt using the same formula in 2018.
    — Jeremy Hallock, Dallas News, 26 Aug. 2020
  • The rookie caught all four of his targets against Houston on Sunday for 88 yards and a touchdown, a 65-yard slant pattern that hit pay dirt.
    — Neil Greenberg, The Denver Post, 28 Oct. 2019
  • Look for Tommy Tremble to find pay dirt, with another tight end — likely Mitchell Evans — joining him in the touchdown club.
    — Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 19 Oct. 2025
  • After a long delay on the sideline, the Panthers’ defense looked lackluster as the Patriots marched down the field for another trip to pay dirt.
    — Mike Kaye september 28, Charlotte Observer, 28 Sep. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pay dirt.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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