payback: Meaning and Definition of

pay•back

Pronunciation: (pā'bak"), [key]
— n.
  1. the period of time required to recoup a capital investment.
  2. the return on an investment: a payback of 15 percent tax-free.
  3. the act or fact of paying back; repayment.
  4. something done in retaliation: a really vicious payback for years of being snubbed.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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