[pey-awf, -of] 
| 1. | the payment of a salary, debt, wager, etc. |
| 2. | the time at which such payment is made. |
| 3. | the consequence, outcome, or final sequence in a series of events, actions, or circumstances: The payoff was when they fired him. |
| 4. | Informal. the climax of something, esp. a story or joke. |
| 5. | a settlement or reckoning, as in retribution or reward. |
| 6. | Informal. a bribe. |
| 7. | yielding results, esp. rewarding or decisive results: The payoff play was the long pass into the end zone. |
| pay·off (pā'ôf', -ŏf') n.
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