payoff

[ pey-awf, -of ]

/ ˈpeɪˌɔf, -ˌɒf /

the payment of a salary, debt, wager, etc.

the time at which such payment is made.

the consequence, outcome, or final sequence in a series of events, actions, or circumstances: The payoff was when they fired him.

Informal. the climax of something, especially a story or joke.

a settlement or reckoning, as in retribution or reward.

Informal. a bribe.

yielding results, especially rewarding or decisive results: The payoff play was the long pass into the end zone.

Origin of payoff

First recorded in 1910–15; noun, adj. use of verb phrase pay off

3 climax, upshot, finale.

Critics accused Foster of giving Duke a payoff to stay out of the race; that was never proven.

The Louisiana Racists Who Courted Steve Scalise |Jason Berry |January 3, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
If we enter with science and respect, the payoff will last generations.

For Rent: Priceless Historic Sites |Elinor Betesh |November 16, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
He wants “more than a handout, a payoff, hush money, or a reluctant bribe.”

America Is Coming to Terms with Its Racial Past—Let’s Look Ahead Instead |John McWhorter |May 22, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
The sentence is dictated by statute and therefore the defendant gets next to no payoff for his guilty plea.

How Justin Bieber Can Beat His DUI |Eboni K. Williams |February 26, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

But, they more than payoff as a chance to see classic, clever sketch comedy in its earliest days of television.

Sid Caesar’s 5 Funniest Moments |Emily Shire |February 13, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
After weeks of neglecting his tip sheet to study catatonia, he felt close to the payoff.

At the Post |Horace Leonard Gold
Suppose the Elsinore had persisted in her refusal to payoff?

The Mutiny of the Elsinore |Jack London
De Quille had not missed the opportunity of his comrade's absence to payoff some old scores.

Mark Twain, A Biography, 1835-1910, Complete |Albert Bigelow Paine
And the duke went away, promising to payoff the gentlemen for their interruption.

Chicot the Jester |Alexandre Dumas, Pere
"Now it's all over but the payoff," thought Jerry, waiting for Mr. Bartlett to make out the grocery slip.

Jerry's Charge Account |Hazel Hutchins Wilson