pay back
Third Person
pays back
Present Participle
paying back
Past Tense
paid back
Past Participle
paid back
1
to seek revenge on someone for something they did
transitive
- He vowed to pay them back for ruining his reputation.
- She found a way to pay back her cheating ex by succeeding in her career.
- The rival team is determined to pay us back for last year's defeat.
- He's plotting to pay back everyone who doubted him.
- The movie plot revolves around a hero's journey to pay back the villains for harming his family.
2
to return an amount of money that was borrowed
transitive
- They set up a monthly plan to pay the bank back for the mortgage.
- He's been struggling to pay back his credit card debt.
- The company agreed to pay back the investment over a period of five years.
- Once I receive my paycheck, I'll pay you back immediately.
- I need to pay back the money I borrowed from John.
3
to return a favor or reward someone for their actions
transitive
- To pay back the community's kindness, he organized a free event for everyone.
- They held a party to pay back friends for their constant support.
- She made a donation to pay back her teacher for years of guidance.
- The town paid her back with an award for her charity work.
- He wanted to pay back his parents for their help with a thank-you dinner.