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pay off

[/peɪ ɔːf/]
verb
pagar (uma dívida); compensar; dar resultado
1. to finish paying a debt or loan completely
She finally paid off her student loans after ten years.
Ela finalmente quitou seus empréstimos estudantis após dez anos.
2. to give money to someone, especially as a bribe or to settle a matter
The company paid off the lawsuit with a settlement.
A empresa liquidou o processo com um acordo.
3. to be successful or worthwhile; to yield good results
All her hard work finally paid off when she got the promotion.
Todo o seu trabalho árduo finalmente compensou quando ela recebeu a promoção.
4. to provide profit or advantage
The investment paid off handsomely.
O investimento rendeu muito bem.
NYC Slang
pay up; settle up; make good
Synonyms
settleliquidaterepayclearbe worthwhilework outsucceed
Antonyms
defaultrenegefailbackfire

Regional Variations

General Brazilian
pagar; compensar; dar certo
Most common usage in Brazilian Portuguese
Rio de Janeiro
pagar; dar resultado
Standard Brazilian usage with occasional colloquial variations
São Paulo
quitar; compensar; valer a pena
More formal business language in São Paulo
Portugal
pagar; compensar; valer a pena
European Portuguese uses similar constructions with slight grammatical variations

Related Idioms & Phrases

crime doesn't pay off
hard work pays off
it all paid off in the end
pay someone off under the table
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