English idiom · neutral · spoken & written · BrE & AmE
pay off: meaning and examples
pay off means produce a good result after effort or patience.
Aprende la expresión como una unidad fija y observa la preposición y la forma verbal en los ejemplos.
این عبارت را بهصورت یک واحد ثابت یاد بگیرید و به حرف اضافه و شکل فعل در مثالها توجه کنید.
Lerne die Wendung als feste Einheit und achte in den Beispielen auf Präposition und Verbform.
Apprenez l’expression comme une unité fixe et observez la préposition et la forme verbale dans les exemples.
Memory hook: Build a clear mental picture from “pay off” and connect it to this meaning: produce a good result after effort or patience.
How to use “pay off”
- All that practice finally paid off.
- His patience paid off in the end.
Common mistake: Treat “pay off” as a fixed expression. Notice its exact word order in the examples.
Learn it in context
This expression belongs to Lesson 8, where you can compare it with other idioms about success and practise it interactively.
Open the full lesson →