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
Heath also flagged additional research suggesting the carbon payback period may be less than a year.
—
Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 9 Jan. 2025
There’s some credence to the idea that recent weeks’ selling pressure was something of a pulling-forward of the modest payback that history suggests should be expected for this month.
—Michael Santoli, CNBC, 6 Jan. 2025
How does the payback compare to the ROI (i.e., useful life of retrofit/payback)?
—Thomas Grizzetti, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024
Your tortured soul is getting a bit of payback for something.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 22 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for payback 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 9 Jan. 2025
There’s some credence to the idea that recent weeks’ selling pressure was something of a pulling-forward of the modest payback that history suggests should be expected for this month.
—Michael Santoli, CNBC, 6 Jan. 2025
How does the payback compare to the ROI (i.e., useful life of retrofit/payback)?
—Thomas Grizzetti, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024
Your tortured soul is getting a bit of payback for something.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 22 Dec. 2024
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 28 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share