1
: requital
2
: a return on an investment equal to the original capital outlay
also
: the period of time elapsed before an investment is recouped
Synonyms
Examples of payback in a Sentence
They beat our team last year, so we've got to beat them this year as payback.
we are hoping to get payback for the humiliating defeat we suffered at the hands of our rivals during our last matchup
Recent Examples on the Web
Trump is ousting people across the bureaucracy and not hiding his motivation — payback.
—
Axios, 2 Feb. 2025
But investigators believe Mitchell’s death was in some way payback for the slaying of the boy, law enforcement sources said.
—Leonard Greene, New York Daily News, 30 Jan. 2025
The Bills got payback in the 1991 Divisional Round with a 37-14 outcome that was never close.
—Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 24 Jan. 2025
Companies have proven self-driving vehicles can work, but the costs have been far greater than initially anticipated with longer-than-expected paybacks.
—Michael Wayland, CNBC, 17 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for payback 
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Axios, 2 Feb. 2025
But investigators believe Mitchell’s death was in some way payback for the slaying of the boy, law enforcement sources said.
—Leonard Greene, New York Daily News, 30 Jan. 2025
The Bills got payback in the 1991 Divisional Round with a 37-14 outcome that was never close.
—Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 24 Jan. 2025
Companies have proven self-driving vehicles can work, but the costs have been far greater than initially anticipated with longer-than-expected paybacks.
—Michael Wayland, CNBC, 17 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for payback
Dictionary Entries Near payback
Cite this Entry
“Payback.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/payback. Accessed 11 Feb. 2025.
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