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
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
Some lawyers have been moved to other enforcement teams, and a top lawyer on many crypto cases was moved entirely out of the enforcement division — action seem by some as payback to the crypto community.
—
Matthew Goldstein, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2025
The moment with the crowd was some payback for what happened last season – when McNeeley was still a five-star recruit and the Creighton students stormed the court after a blowout of the eventual national champions, some exchanging words with Hurley on his way out.
—Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 12 Feb. 2025
He’s also been incarcerated in isolation for a significant portion of his time, mostly as payback for publicly humiliating the Ohio Department of Corrections.
—Bob Guccione Jr., SPIN, 11 Feb. 2025
Go deeper: Behind the Curtain: The payback precedent Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.
—Rebecca Falconer, Axios, 7 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for payback
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Matthew Goldstein, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2025
The moment with the crowd was some payback for what happened last season – when McNeeley was still a five-star recruit and the Creighton students stormed the court after a blowout of the eventual national champions, some exchanging words with Hurley on his way out.
—Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 12 Feb. 2025
He’s also been incarcerated in isolation for a significant portion of his time, mostly as payback for publicly humiliating the Ohio Department of Corrections.
—Bob Guccione Jr., SPIN, 11 Feb. 2025
Go deeper: Behind the Curtain: The payback precedent Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.
—Rebecca Falconer, Axios, 7 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for payback
Cite this Entry
“Payback.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/payback. Accessed 1 Mar. 2025.
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