as in earnings
the amount of money left when expenses are subtracted from the total amount received
the payoff on the investment was only about $500
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Recent Examples of payoffs
This was the same man who was accused of helping coordinate payoffs to Kelly’s accusers ahead of the 2008 trial.
—
Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 31 Jan. 2026
The house, in this case Santa Anita, does take money off the top to run the game but is not involved in determining the payoffs.
—John Cherwa, Los Angeles Times, 21 Jan. 2026
Setups, payoffs, and callbacks follow a strict logic, much like theater itself — nothing can break down, and even accidents have to be planned.
—Ben Croll, Variety, 15 Jan. 2026
Diamantis was found guilty by a federal jury after a first trial in October of taking payoffs for steering school construction contracts.
—Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 9 Jan. 2026
Damien Eagers | Reuters Valuations of several technology and artificial intelligence stocks are expected to remain in focus in 2026, as investors are concerned about the payoffs on massive AI spending.
—Tipranks.com Staff, CNBC, 4 Jan. 2026
And the role of state and national governments in fostering the construction of canals, railroads, river improvements and ports had substantial payoffs.
—Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 4 Jan. 2026
Adding more muscle has big payoffs.
—Will Stone, NPR, 26 Dec. 2025
But as long as they are managed, the risks of cooperation should be worth the payoffs.
—Mohammad Javad Zarif, Foreign Affairs, 22 Dec. 2025
Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 31 Jan. 2026
The house, in this case Santa Anita, does take money off the top to run the game but is not involved in determining the payoffs.
—John Cherwa, Los Angeles Times, 21 Jan. 2026
Setups, payoffs, and callbacks follow a strict logic, much like theater itself — nothing can break down, and even accidents have to be planned.
—Ben Croll, Variety, 15 Jan. 2026
Diamantis was found guilty by a federal jury after a first trial in October of taking payoffs for steering school construction contracts.
—Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 9 Jan. 2026
Damien Eagers | Reuters Valuations of several technology and artificial intelligence stocks are expected to remain in focus in 2026, as investors are concerned about the payoffs on massive AI spending.
—Tipranks.com Staff, CNBC, 4 Jan. 2026
And the role of state and national governments in fostering the construction of canals, railroads, river improvements and ports had substantial payoffs.
—Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 4 Jan. 2026
Adding more muscle has big payoffs.
—Will Stone, NPR, 26 Dec. 2025
But as long as they are managed, the risks of cooperation should be worth the payoffs.
—Mohammad Javad Zarif, Foreign Affairs, 22 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for payoffs
Noun
-
The lawsuit alleges that pharmacy benefit managers and insulin manufacturers created and participated in a pricing scheme that led to an increase in the price of insulin and increased profits.—
Kyle Werner,
Des Moines Register,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Typically, firms keep 20% of the remaining profits, and BlackRock’s program is designed to share a swig of that profit with senior executives, based on their individual contributions to the specific funds.—
Amanda Gerut,
Fortune,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Calls for a global wealth tax, massive new aid commitments, or other significant expansions of state redistribution often rest on the premise that trade and free enterprise have failed to deliver shared gains.—
Chelsea Follett,
Oc Register,
1 Feb. 2026
-
Raw land can rise in value, but over time, those gains don’t keep pace with stocks, private equity or the original businesses that generated the wealth to begin with.—
Aldo Svaldi,
Denver Post,
1 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
But when a man from Anne’s past returns from war, a curse begins to take shape through a mysterious knight and threatens to destroy them all.—
Jessica Radloff,
Glamour,
1 Feb. 2026
-
And Malone, who for long stretches outperformed even Warren Buffett in generating returns for his investors, poured much of his family’s net worth into buying more land.—
Aldo Svaldi,
Denver Post,
1 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Payoffs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/payoffs. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.
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