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
Social connection is one of the clearest payoffs.
—
Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 16 May 2026
What Researchers Found Participants with higher fitness levels before age 65—for men, at least 11 to 15 METs and 9 to 12 METs in women—experienced some significant payoffs for health and longevity later on.
—Sarah Garone, Health, 13 May 2026
Mental health is one of the clearest payoffs.
—Hanna Wickes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 May 2026
Each month, the indictment says, a member of the Chapitos gang responsible for overseeing operations in Culiacán received a box stuffed with a large amount of cash, along with a list of corrupt officials who were supposed to receive the payoffs.
—Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2026
Loose ends and compelling payoffs await after a subdued and slow-ish first frame that struggles with a balance between dark brooding and uneven lull.
—David John Chávez, Mercury News, 27 Mar. 2026
These distinctions are useful to understand fiber’s benefits, but practically speaking, any whole plant food will offer a mix of soluble and insoluble fibers, packing all of the related health payoffs.
—Matt Fuchs, Time, 25 Mar. 2026
Showrunner Dario Scardapane expertly crafts each hour to move the plot, characters and themes toward both their blowout conclusions and larger narrative payoffs.
—Bob Strauss, San Francisco Chronicle, 24 Mar. 2026
Prosecutors said at the time that the two received about $600,000 in payoffs and embezzled money.
—Scott Travis, Sun Sentinel, 13 Mar. 2026
Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 16 May 2026
What Researchers Found Participants with higher fitness levels before age 65—for men, at least 11 to 15 METs and 9 to 12 METs in women—experienced some significant payoffs for health and longevity later on.
—Sarah Garone, Health, 13 May 2026
Mental health is one of the clearest payoffs.
—Hanna Wickes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 May 2026
Each month, the indictment says, a member of the Chapitos gang responsible for overseeing operations in Culiacán received a box stuffed with a large amount of cash, along with a list of corrupt officials who were supposed to receive the payoffs.
—Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2026
Loose ends and compelling payoffs await after a subdued and slow-ish first frame that struggles with a balance between dark brooding and uneven lull.
—David John Chávez, Mercury News, 27 Mar. 2026
These distinctions are useful to understand fiber’s benefits, but practically speaking, any whole plant food will offer a mix of soluble and insoluble fibers, packing all of the related health payoffs.
—Matt Fuchs, Time, 25 Mar. 2026
Showrunner Dario Scardapane expertly crafts each hour to move the plot, characters and themes toward both their blowout conclusions and larger narrative payoffs.
—Bob Strauss, San Francisco Chronicle, 24 Mar. 2026
Prosecutors said at the time that the two received about $600,000 in payoffs and embezzled money.
—Scott Travis, Sun Sentinel, 13 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for payoffs
Noun
-
Californians deserve an insurance commissioner dedicated to making insurance affordable and available for all Californians, not to increasing profits for this $1 trillion industry.—
Mercury News & East Bay Times Editorial Boards,
Mercury News,
15 May 2026
-
Soaring profits meant higher compensation for bankers, of course.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
Producer prices growth in April outpaced consumer price gains for the first time since July 2022, with OCBC's Xie suggesting companies will absorb a large part of the commodity shock rather than pass it fully to consumers.—
Anniek Bao,Evelyn Cheng,
CNBC,
18 May 2026
-
Finally, on May 8th, the Virginia Supreme Court overturned the state’s redistricting referendum, reducing the Democrats’ potential gains from ten seats to six.—
Jason Zengerle,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
Noun
-
Despite tallying just one win since 2016, McGregor has remained the promotion’s most popular star, and his regularly teased returns have captivated the sport’s storylines.—
Mark Puleo,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
-
Retirees and their advisers can update spending targets every year, based on life changes, investment returns, inflation and other factors.—
Daniel de Visé,
USA Today,
17 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Payoffs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/payoffs. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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