Akademik

pay off
verb
1. yield a profit or result (Freq. 4)
-

His efforts finally paid off

Hypernyms: ↑yield, ↑pay, ↑bear
Verb Frames:
-

Something ——s

2. eliminate by paying off (debts) (Freq. 2)
Syn: ↑liquidate
Derivationally related forms: ↑liquidation (for: ↑liquidate)
Hypernyms: ↑pay up, ↑ante up, ↑pay
Hyponyms: ↑lift, ↑amortize, ↑amortise
Verb Frames:
-

Somebody ——s something

3. pay off (loans or promissory notes) (Freq. 2)
Syn: ↑redeem
Derivationally related forms: ↑redemption (for: ↑redeem), ↑redeemer (for: ↑redeem)
Hypernyms: ↑pay
Verb Frames:
-

Somebody ——s something

4. do or give something to somebody in return (Freq. 1)
-

Does she pay you for the work you are doing?

Syn: ↑pay, ↑make up, ↑compensate
See Also: ↑pay back (for: ↑pay), ↑pay off (for: ↑pay)
Derivationally related forms: ↑compensation (for: ↑compensate), ↑pay (for: ↑pay), ↑payee (for: ↑pay), ↑payer (for: ↑pay)
Hypernyms: ↑settle
Verb Frames:
-

Somebody ——s somebody PP

5. take vengeance on or get even
-

We'll get them!

-

That'll fix him good!

-

This time I got him

Syn: ↑pay back, ↑get, ↑fix
Derivationally related forms: ↑payback (for: ↑pay back)
Hypernyms: ↑get even, ↑get back
Verb Group: ↑pay
Verb Frames:
-

Somebody ——s somebody

-

Somebody ——s somebody PP

6. pay someone with influence in order to receive a favor
Syn: ↑buy off
Topics: ↑crime, ↑offense, ↑criminal offense, ↑criminal offence, ↑offence, ↑law-breaking
Hypernyms: ↑bribe, ↑corrupt, ↑buy, ↑grease one's palms
Verb Frames:
-

Somebody ——s somebody

* * *

informal (of a course of action) yield good results; succeed

all the hard work I had done over the summer paid off

* * *

pay off [phrasal verb]
1 : to produce a result that you want

It's great to see that all of our hard work has finally paid off.

2 pay off (something) or pay (something) off : to give all of the money that you owe for (something that you pay for over a period of time)

It will take us 30 years to pay off our mortgage, but then the house will be ours.

If I won the money, I'd use it to pay off all my credit cards.

paying off your debts

She finally got her car paid off. [=she finally paid all the money she had borrowed to buy her car]

3 pay off (someone) or pay (someone) off
3 a : to give money to (someone) in order to make that person do something illegal or dishonest for you or to convince that person not to talk about something

He tried to pay off [=bribe] a police officer.

The company was accused of paying off its employees to keep them from talking about its illegal activities.

3 b Brit : to stop employing (someone) after paying all of the money that was owed to that person

They paid off all their workers and then closed the factory.

— see also payoff
• • •
Main Entry:pay

* * *

ˌpay ˈoff derived
(informal) (of a plan or an action, especially one that involves risk) to be successful and bring good results

The gamble paid off.

Main entry:payderived

Useful english dictionary. 2012.