Word Study
payoff
WORDNET DICTIONARY
Noun payoff has 4 senses
- payoff(n = noun.possession) final payment - the final payment of a debt; Array is a kind of payment
- payoff(n = noun.possession) bribe - payment made to a person in a position of trust to corrupt his judgment; Array is a kind of payment
- payoff(n = noun.possession) issue, proceeds, return, take, takings, yield - the income or profit arising from such transactions as the sale of land or other property; "the average return was about 5%" is a kind of income
- payoff(n = noun.event) reward, wages - a recompense for worthy acts or retribution for wrongdoing; "the wages of sin is death"; "virtue is its own reward" is a kind of aftermath, consequence
has particulars: hush money, kickback, payola, soap
has particulars: economic rent, rent, payback
CIDE DICTIONARY
payoff, n.
- profit or gain from an action; -- used broadly; as, lots of effort with little payoff. [PJC]
- retribution, payback. [PJC]
- The act of giving or receiving money or other valuable consideration as a bribe. [PJC]
- The money or item given as a bribe. [PJC]
- same as compensation 2. [PJC]
- The climax or final result of an event or endeavor; the denoument of a narrative. [PJC]
THESAURUS
payoff
Z, acquitment, acquittal, acquittance, amortization, amortizement, apodosis, binder, bitter end, boodle, bribe, bribe money, cash, cash payment, catastrophe, ceasing, cessation, clearance, climax, coda, completion, conclusion, consummation, crack of doom, culmination, curtain, curtains, death, debt service, decease, defrayal, defrayment, denouement, deposit, destination, destiny, disbursal, discharge, doling out, doom, down payment, earnest, earnest money, effect, end, end point, end result, ending, envoi, epilogue, eschatology, expiration, fate, final result, final solution, final twitch, final words, finale, finality, finis, finish, goal, gratification, gratuity, hire purchase, hire purchase plan, hush money, installment, installment plan, interest payment, izzard, last, last act, last breath, last gasp, last things, last trumpet, last words, latter end, liquidation, monthly payments, never-never, omega, paying, paying off, paying out, paying up, payment, payment in kind, payola, period, peroration, prepayment, protection, quarterly payments, quietus, quittance, regular payments, remittance, resolution, resting place, retirement, satisfaction, settlement, sinking-fund payment, sop, spot cash, stoppage, stopping place, swan song, term, terminal, termination, terminus, weekly payments, windup
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