How to Use payoff in a Sentence

payoff

1 of 2 noun
  • You'll have to work hard but there'll be a big payoff in the end.
  • We expected more of a payoff for all our hard work.
  • We made a lot of sacrifices with little payoff.
  • He lost his factory job but received a payoff and a pension.
  • Several city officials have been accused of receiving payoffs from the company.
  • But the payoff could be worth it.
    — Matthew Hutson, IEEE Spectrum, 7 May 2026
  • And what’s the payoff for all of this?
    — Literary Hub, 23 Jan. 2026
  • But the payoff comes with trade-offs.
    — Jordan Greene, PEOPLE, 19 Dec. 2025
  • The payoff came in that first at-bat.
    — Rick Armstrong, Chicago Tribune, 2 June 2026
  • For some, the payoff may still be worth it.
    — Jake Angelo, Fortune, 6 Jan. 2026
  • Cost per wear is a small idea with a big payoff.
    — Ryan Brennan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 June 2026
  • Yeah, there’s a whole sort of payoff for that.
    — Mike Ryan, IndieWire, 27 Feb. 2026
  • The payoff is bigger than a good chat.
    — Angela Haupt, Time, 24 June 2026
  • The payoff has now arrived in year four.
    — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 16 Mar. 2026
  • This summer is meant to be the payoff.
    — Paul Tenorio, New York Times, 29 May 2026
  • That’s also why the scares and the laughs have so much payoff.
    — Vulture, 27 Jan. 2023
  • These are low-cost finds with high-impact payoff.
    — Chaise Sanders, Travel + Leisure, 29 Jan. 2026
  • But playing the shows was the payoff.
    — Pat Blashill, Rolling Stone, 28 Aug. 2025
  • What ridiculous lyrics, but what a payoff.
    — Heather Bushman, IndyStar, 29 Aug. 2025
  • Years later, those days would make the payoff all the more worth it.
    — Sam McDowell 8, Kansas City Star, 8 Feb. 2026
  • Who doesn’t love watching hard work payoff?
    — Sean Joseph Outkick, FOXNews.com, 28 Apr. 2026
  • Adding more muscle has big payoffs.
    — Will Stone, NPR, 26 Dec. 2025
  • The payoff isn’t nearly as great.
    — Miriam Balanescu, IndieWire, 5 Mar. 2026
  • Any overbuild would grant some payoff.
    — Jake Angelo, Fortune, 6 Feb. 2026
  • My payoff was always getting to those three guys on the boat.
    — Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 22 June 2026
  • Wade took a bit to work up to, making the payoff feel so much sweeter.
    — James Factora, Them., 26 Sep. 2025
  • There's not payoff beyond that.
    — Bon Appétit, Bon Appetit Magazine, 9 Oct. 2025
  • Big challenges, big payoff Of course, a lot could go wrong.
    — Martin Elvis, The Conversation, 9 Jan. 2026
  • Smith said his father searched for years for that kind of visual payoff.
    — David Caraccio april 4, Sacbee.com, 4 Apr. 2026
  • When there were cheaper options to the west, the payoff wasn’t there.
    — Mark Dee march 3, Idaho Statesman, 3 Mar. 2026

pay off

2 of 2 verb
  • I finally paid off the loan.
  • But that all has to be paid off.
    — Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 27 Jan. 2026
  • And tonight, the work has paid off.
    — Natalie Escobar, NPR, 12 May 2026
  • The work paid off in a huge way.
    — Natalia Sánchez Loayza, Scientific American, 13 Mar. 2026
  • And the move paid off in a big way.
    — Joe Smith, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2026
  • Turned out, that one didn't pay off.
    — Jon Wertheim, CBS News, 28 June 2026
  • Turned out, that one didn't pay off.
    — Jon Wertheim, CBS News, 17 May 2026
  • Velshi and his team's work seemed to pay off.
    — Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 5 Nov. 2025
  • And now, it’s paid off with a big prize.
    — Daniella Segura, Miami Herald, 16 Oct. 2025
  • That's all paid off for Trusty.
    — Russell Lewis, NPR, 12 June 2026
  • All of these bets have paid off, and then some.
    — Andrew R. Chow, Time, 6 May 2026
  • But Lyons said the work paid off.
    — Brad Quick, CNBC, 20 Apr. 2026
  • The next few years will show whether that bet pays off.
    — Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 22 Oct. 2025
  • If that house is sold, that lien would have to be paid off.
    — Marvin Hurst, CBS News, 9 May 2026
  • The spending paid off in the end.
    — Caroline Reid, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
  • The conceit is risky but pays off.
    — Literary Hub, 31 Oct. 2025
  • Her effort seems to have paid off.
    — Billy Perrigo, Time, 7 Oct. 2025
  • But not all degrees pay off the same.
    — Kamaron McNair, CNBC, 10 Sep. 2025
  • That new plan seems to be paying off.
    — Auzinea Bacon, CNN Money, 25 May 2026
  • His gamble now seems to have paid off.
    — Ben Weiss, Fortune, 12 Mar. 2026
  • A little courage can pay off big time.
    — Victoria Uwumarogie, Essence, 27 Aug. 2025
  • This is where your focus will pay off.
    — Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 24 Apr. 2026
  • The bet seems to be paying off.
    — Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 16 Feb. 2026
  • Just that hard work always pays off.
    — Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 23 Sep. 2025
  • All that crafty seeding has paid off.
    — Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 17 May 2026
  • Taking your time should pay off.
    — Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 21 Jan. 2026
  • Draw up a new budget, or pay off a debt.
    — Glamour, 25 Apr. 2026
  • The purchase paid off big-time.
    — Thor Christensen, Dallas Morning News, 25 Feb. 2026
  • His extra work seemed to have paid off.
    — Betsy Helfand, Twin Cities, 31 Aug. 2025
  • The free-spending plan paid off.
    — Jon Vankin, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'payoff.' 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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