Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun The return on an investment.
- noun Retribution or revenge.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun informal same as
retribution . - noun informal same as
requital .
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun uncountable An act of
revenge . - noun countable A form of
recompense .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- verb take vengeance on or get even
- verb act or give recompense in recognition of someone's behavior or actions
- noun financial return or reward (especially returns equal to the initial investment)
- noun the act of taking revenge (harming someone in retaliation for something harmful that they have done) especially in the next life
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
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Examples
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Hey McCain payback is Hades AINT 'IT ... guess you republicans think you can do what ever the devil YOU want.
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Can you give us some idea of what a hurdle race it is and I guess you used the term payback, so if you can express it in.
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This simple, yet profound shift away from short term ROI made it possible for companies to invest in ethical, sustainable improvements without the fear of having their programs axed for lack of short term payback.
Marc Stoiber: Ideals and Ethics: The Next Business Edge? Marc Stoiber 2012
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When you actually ignore reality for years on end, the payback is a bitch brother! ...
- Boing Boing 2006
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That is a great and inexpensive long term investment, but there can be a surprising short term payback: by "infecting" kids with entrepreneurship, the parents may get the bug too.
Forbes.com: News Daniel Isenberg 2011
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"Making cars more fuel efficient from an economic standpoint, the payback is certainly there," says Jack Gillis, a spokesman for the CFA.
EPA to propose 35 mpg, groups push for 60 mpg or even 70 mpg by 2025 2010
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The program provided a template for companies to incorporate longer term payback -- often key to sustainability initiatives -- right into their corporate charter.
Marc Stoiber: Ideals and Ethics: The Next Business Edge? Marc Stoiber 2012
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So even if you are right, that it makes "almost" no difference, at least the payback is still immediate and positive.
Make Your Refrigerator Far More Efficient | Lifehacker Australia 2009
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When Hal practically pleads while having his memory removed; payback is a b****!
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Remember Hiroshima and Nagasaki, payback is always hell.
Protesting Globalization, Arnold Kling | EconLog | Library of Economics and Liberty 2009
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