pay back

See also: payback

English

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /peɪ bæk/

Verb

pay back (third-person singular simple present pays back, present participle paying back, simple past and past participle paid back)

(transitive) To pay a debt, to provide the entire amount of money owed to another.
- 2008 November 21, Graham Linehan, The IT Crowd, Season 3, Episode 1:
  Douglas: Roy, give me £20.
  Roy: What?
  Douglas: Give me £20. I'll pay you back.
He paid her back with interest, giving her ₿3 and an NFT for the $6 he'd borrowed last week.
He paid back all the money he owed her, with interest.
(figuratively) To avenge, to exact revenge.
He paid her back with interest, avenging his father's murder with nine degrees of reprisal.

Derived terms

payback

Translations

to repay

Arabic: جَازَى‎ (jāzā)
Armenian: վճարել (hy) (včarel), մարել (hy) (marel)
Bikol Central: balos (bcl)
Bulgarian: връщам пари (vrǎštam pari), разплащам се (razplaštam se)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 賠／赔 (zh) (péi), 報償／报偿 (zh) (bàocháng), 償／偿 (zh) (cháng), 償還／偿还 (zh) (chánghuán)
Danish: tilbagebetale
Dutch: terugbetalen (nl)
Esperanto: repagi
Finnish: maksaa takaisin, palauttaa (fi), hyvittää (fi), maksaa (fi)
French: rembourser (fr), rendre (fr)
German: zurückzahlen (de)
Greek: εξοφλώ (el) (exofló)
Ancient: ἀποτίνω (apotínō)
Icelandic: endurgjalda
Irish: aisíoc
Italian: ripagare (it), restituire (it)
Japanese: 払い戻す (はらいもどす, haraimodosu)
Korean: 갚다 (ko) (gapda)
Latin: rependō
Maori: whakautu, whakautu moni
Norman: s'atchitter
Old English: ġieldan, forġieldan
Portuguese: devolver (pt)
Quechua: hunt'apuy
Russian: отплатить (ru) (otplatitʹ), расплатиться (ru) (rasplatitʹsja)
Scots: foryeild
Scottish Gaelic: ath-dhìol
Spanish: devolver (es)
Swahili: kulipa (sw)
Swedish: betala tillbaka, betala tillbaks (colloquial), betala bak (colloquial)
Vietnamese: trả (vi)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: bales
Westrobothnian: villgo

to exact revenge

Bikol Central: balos (bcl)
Chinese:
Mandarin: please add this translation if you can
Finnish: maksaa samalla mitalla, maksaa potut pottuina, palauttaa (fi)
French: rendre la pareille (fr)
German: sich revanchieren (de), heimzahlen (de), sich rächen, vergelten (de)
Greek:
Ancient: ἀποτίνω (apotínō)
Japanese: please add this translation if you can
Latin: rependō
Norman: please add this translation if you can
Russian: please add this translation if you can
Spanish: hacer pagar, vengarse (es), desquitarse (es)
Swedish: hämnas (sv)

Anagrams

back pay, backpay