A Payoff Can Be a Reward, a Bribe or a Punchline
A payoff is a return on effort. It also means a bribe, and in storytelling the moment a setup delivers.
A payoff is the return on an investment or effort. The word carries three quite different tones: neutral in finance, criminal when it means a bribe, and technical in storytelling, where a *setup* earlier in a narrative must have a *payoff* later. Game theory uses it precisely, for the outcome each player receives.
- A return on effort. *A big payoff.*
- A bribe. *A secret payoff.*
- A narrative resolution. *Setup and payoff.*
- Pay off — to settle a debt, or succeed. *The gamble paid off.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | payoff | A handsome payoff. |
| Plural | payoffs | Long-term payoffs. |
| Phrasal verb | pay off | Pay off the mortgage. |
| Related | payout | An insurance payout. |
| Related | dividend | A share dividend. |
How it is used in a sentence
- The payoff matrix shows each outcome.Game theory.
- Every setup needs a payoff.Storytelling.
- The risk paid off.Verb: succeeded.
Setup and payoff in storytelling
- Setup — information planted early
- Payoff — the later moment that uses it
- Chekhov's gun — a rifle shown in act one must be fired later
- Foreshadowing — hinting at what is to come
- Callback — a comedic return to an earlier joke
From the phrasal verb *pay off*. The narrative sense is twentieth century, the bribery sense American slang.
What is Chekhov's gun?
The principle that any prominent detail introduced in a story must matter later. Chekhov advised removing anything that does not.
Payoff or payout?
A payout is money paid, usually by an institution. A payoff is a return on effort, and can be a bribe.