as in revenge
the act or an instance of responding to an injury with an injury
we are hoping to get payback for the humiliating defeat we suffered at the hands of our rivals during our last matchup
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
pay back
2 of 2phrase
as in reimburse
to make a return payment to
I already paid back what I owed you for groceries.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of payback
Caroline Kubzansky, Chicago Tribune, 21 Jan. 2026
But to conflate Israel with one’s identity in being Jewish, or to spread false information about Jews as some sort of payback against Israel, is antisemitism.
—Kevin Wilk, Mercury News, 12 Jan. 2026
New investment would be needed to keep facilities and operations up to date, with no certainty of payback.
—Dallas Morning News, 5 Jan. 2026
And wouldn’t Johnson enjoy a bit of payback for having his former boss run up the score on him in the first meeting?
—Hank Gola, New York Daily News, 2 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for payback
Noun
Fakroune is accused of posing as Angelino Escobar, the son of the famed Columbian drug kingpin Pablo Escobar, and lying to people about his connections to nonexistent Italian mafiosos to ensure payback on his loans.
—Caroline Kubzansky, Chicago Tribune, 21 Jan. 2026
But to conflate Israel with one’s identity in being Jewish, or to spread false information about Jews as some sort of payback against Israel, is antisemitism.
—Kevin Wilk, Mercury News, 12 Jan. 2026
New investment would be needed to keep facilities and operations up to date, with no certainty of payback.
—Dallas Morning News, 5 Jan. 2026
And wouldn’t Johnson enjoy a bit of payback for having his former boss run up the score on him in the first meeting?
—Hank Gola, New York Daily News, 2 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for payback
Recent Examples of Synonyms for payback
Noun
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The Uxbridge Police Department in Massachusetts posted a tongue-in-cheek poem urging residents to get revenge by reporting exes with active warrants.—
Michael Sinkewicz,
FOXNews.com,
15 Feb. 2026
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The Cyclones earned some revenge for an 84-63 loss at Kansas that started the Jayhawks’ run of Big 12 wins.—
Shreyas Laddha,
Kansas City Star,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Sappenfield was permanently banned by the United States Center for SafeSport in May 2024 for physical and emotional misconduct, retaliation, abuse of process, and failure to report a potential SafeSport violation.—
Scott M. Reid,
Oc Register,
16 Feb. 2026
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December was a busy month for retaliation.—
Krista Kafer,
Denver Post,
16 Feb. 2026
Noun
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That threat, and Chinese retribution that followed — warnings to Chinese tourists to avoid Japan, a ban on Japanese seafood imports, moves to choke off Chinese rare earth exports — triggered a nationalist rally-around-the-flag surge.—
Andy Browne,
semafor.com,
9 Feb. 2026
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The win perhaps felt like retribution for the last Super Bowl between these teams.—
Tim Rohan,
NBC news,
9 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Payback.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/payback. Accessed 17 Feb. 2026.
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