pay off

報われる、成果を上げる

努力や計画が良い結果を生み、かけた時間や費用に見合う。

やさしい英語で： If effort or a plan succeeds, it produces good results and is worth the time or cost.

• Your hard work will pay off.
• All that practice paid off during the match.
• Did their new strategy pay off?

類義語： succeed, bear fruit

反対語： fail

よく使う表現： pay off eventually, pay off handsomely

完済する

借金やローンで借りたお金をすべて返す。

やさしい英語で： To return all the money you owe for a loan or debt.

• I paid off my loan.
• They are saving to pay the mortgage off.
• Have you paid off your credit card debt?

使い方： pay off something (She paid off her student loan.); pay something off (We hope to pay it off next year.)

類義語： repay, settle, clear

よく使う表現： pay off debt, pay off a loan, pay off a mortgage

ローンを完済する

品物のローンを全額返し、貸し手の権利をなくす。

やさしい英語で： To finish paying a loan for something, so the lender no longer has a claim on it.

• We paid off our car.
• She finally paid the house off this spring.
• How long will it take to pay off the boat?

使い方： pay off something (They paid off the house after twenty years.); pay something off (We paid the car off last month.)

類義語： pay for completely

よく使う表現： pay off a car, pay off a house

賄賂を渡す、買収する

助けてもらったり不正を見逃してもらったりするため、こっそり人に金を渡す。

やさしい英語で： To give someone money secretly so they help you or ignore something wrong.

• They paid off the guard.
• Someone had paid the witness off before the trial.
• Did the owner pay off the inspectors?

使い方： pay someone off (They paid the guard off to avoid an inspection.)

類義語： bribe, buy off

よく使う表現： pay off someone, pay off officials

賃金を精算して解雇する

従業員に未払いの賃金をすべて払い、解雇する。

やさしい英語で： To end someone’s employment and give them the money they are owed.

• The factory paid off its workers.
• They paid the crew off at the end of the voyage.
• Will the firm pay off more staff after the closure?

使い方： pay someone off (The company paid its temporary workers off when the project ended.)

類義語： dismiss, lay off

反対語： hire

よく使う表現： pay off workers, pay off staff, pay off someone

風下に向く

帆船の船首が、風の来る方向から離れるように向きを変える。

やさしい英語で： If a sailing boat does this, its front turns away from the direction the wind comes from.

• The yacht began to pay off.
• The bow paid off as the wind changed.
• Let the boat pay off before adjusting the sail.

類義語： bear away, fall off

反対語： head up

よく使う表現： pay off slowly, pay off to leeward