pay out
phrasal verb·1 sense·particle out
Meanings
Pay a large amount of money, especially over time
Why “out”? Something is sent, shared, or made available from one source to many people or places.
“The lottery paid out millions in prizes.”
“The insurance company paid out after the fire.”
Don't confuse with
Pay out means pay a large amount of money, especially over time. Pay down means reduce a debt by making payments.
Test yourself
“The lottery paid out millions in prizes.” What does it mean?
Nearby in the meaning map
Sink In connects verbs by particle pattern, contrast pairs, and shared base verbs.
pay down
A contrast learners often mix up
Reduce a debt by making payments
blast out
Same out pattern: distribution
Play music extremely loudly through speakers
bring out
Same out pattern: distribution
Make a quality or feature more obvious; Publish or launch a new product; Cause a particular response or behaviour in someone; Take something out of a container or place to show it; Encourage a shy person to be more confident
count out
Same out pattern: distribution
Count items one by one as you remove them
dish out
Same out pattern: distribution
Give food, advice, or criticism to several people
farm out
Same out pattern: distribution
Send work to be done by another person or company
get out
Same out pattern: distribution
Leave a room, car or building; Become known publicly, often by accident; Leave home to meet people or enjoy free time; Manage to escape from a situation; Remove a stain or mark from something; Produce or manage to say words; Publish or release something to the public
give out
Same out pattern: distribution
Distribute to many people
Sink In — iOS & Android
Practice “pay out” in Sink In
Drill “pay out” and 1,300+ other phrasal verbs with spaced repetition, organised by the particle patterns that connect them.
- Learn the pattern behind dozens of verbs at once — not one-off translations.
- Spaced repetition (SM-2) brings each meaning back right before you forget.
- Four practice modes train recall and discrimination, not just recognition.
