pay out

pay out (third-person singular simple present pays out, present participle paying out, simple past and past participle paid out or (nautical sense, rare) payed out)

1. To distribute money; to disburse
   • 2019 March 11, Imani Moise, “Wells Fargo CEO to detail customer remediation to U.S. Congress”, in Meredith Mazzilli, editor, Reuters‎, archived from the original on 27 October 2022, REGULATORY NEWS - AMERICAS:

     Since 2016, the bank has reviewed 165 million accounts, contacted more than 40 million customers and payed out millions in compensation, Sloan said in his opening statement submitted to the House Financial Services Committee on Monday.

2. (nautical, transitive) To slacken a rope by lengthening it; to allow a rope to run out.
3. (of a rope, intransitive) To slacken by lengthening.
   • 1997, Mark Kurlansky, Cod, page 117:

     If a fisherman gets his foot ensnared in a rope that is rapidly paying out, he will be dragged over and drowned almost before anyone realizes he is overboard.

4. To repay, take revenge
   • 1981, P. L. Travers, chapter 7, in Mary Poppins, revised edition:

     The pigeon, very offended, flew back to the Bird Woman and, to pay out Mary Poppins, stuck the rose in the ribbon of the Bird Woman's hat.

5. (Australia, informal, transitive) To make fun of or insult, often in a teasing manner.
   • 2021, Anthony Cuda, “Robin's Son Joins The Show To Dob Her In For The Hilarious Things She Does When She's Drunk!”, in KIIS 97.3‎, archived from the original on 28 December 2022:

     Last weekend, Robin accidentally tried to interview someone after having one too many wines and of course, we paid her out for it.

   • 2022 April 25 (last accessed), Brenton, “Big Boar Harley Heritage Reborn”, in Ozbike‎:

     My wife and the other boys pay me out because the bike would just sit in the shed, but that’s where I spend most of my time.

   • 2022, Glenis Green, “Shearer's wife lost to cancer”, in Fox Sports Australia‎:

     Vautin said he and his wife Kim had first met Delyse at a State of Origin camp in 1985 when, just a slip of a girl, she had paid him out for missing six tackles in an earlier game.

• outpay