1 B1 idiomatic neutral
to pay all of a debt so that nothing remains owed
"They finally paid off their mortgage after twenty-five years."
separable
pay off
B1 neutral mixed transitive/intransitive
to finish paying money owed, to bring a successful result, or to bribe someone
In plain English
to pay all the money you owe, or for hard work to give a good result
What does "pay off" mean?
3 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B1 idiomatic neutral
to produce a good result after effort, risk, or waiting
"All those late nights studying paid off in the end."
“
I think hard work pays off.
— Taylor Swift, interview remarks
inseparable
3 C1 idiomatic neutral
to give someone money to persuade them to help secretly or act dishonestly
"The gang paid off a guard to get information."
separable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
to complete payment fully
Actually means
to pay all the money you owe, or for hard work to give a good result
Usage tip
Highly common and polysemous. In the 'succeed' sense, it is often intransitive. The bribery sense is less common and often negative.
Words that pair with "pay off"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
loan mortgage debt investment hard work official
How to conjugate "pay off"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
pay off
I/you/we/they
3rd person
pays off
he/she/it
Past simple
paid off
yesterday
Past participle
paid off
have + pp
-ing form
paying off
continuous
Hear "pay off" in the wild
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Other ways to say "pay off"
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Keep exploring
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