reward

Compared meaning: something gained in return for effort (noun).

比较义项：报酬、奖赏（名词）。

• reward 本词

  Reward suggests something a person or institution deliberately gives you—money, a prize, or praise—for good behavior or work; common in everyday, encouraging contexts.

  reward指某人或机构因你表现良好或完成工作而主动给予的具体东西——金钱、奖品或称赞；常用于日常、带有鼓励意味的语境中。

  The teacher gave a small reward for finishing homework early.

  老师给提前完成作业的学生发了一份小奖励。

• payoff

  Payoff refers to the benefit or return that results from effort, time, or investment, rather than something a person hands you directly; often financial or figurative, and more informal in tone.

  payoff指因努力、时间或投入而带来的收益或回报，并非某人直接给予；常指经济上的回报，也可用于比喻意义，语气更为非正式。

  The long hours of studying finally had a payoff on exam day.

  长时间的学习终于在考试当天带来了回报。

Both words can mean something gained in return. Reward suggests something a person or institution gives you on purpose, like money or praise, for good work. Payoff means the benefit that comes from effort or investment, not something handed to you directly.

这两个词在“报酬”这一义项上意思相近，但reward强调他人（如老师、雇主）因你表现良好或完成工作而主动给予的具体奖赏，语气日常、正面；payoff强调努力、投入或耐心所带来的回报或成果，未必由某人直接给予，语气更偏非正式，常见于谈论成效的场合。这里不比较payoff在其他语境中可能带有的“贿赂款”等引申义。

Compared meaning: to give something back for good behavior (verb).

比较义项：因对方的好行为或所做的事而给予回报（动词）。

• reward 本词

  Reward means giving something — praise, money, or a gift — to someone for good behavior or work, usually from an authority recognizing merit, not for repaying a specific debt.

  reward表示因对方的好行为或工作而给予某人东西——表扬、金钱或礼物——通常由权威一方给予以表彰功劳，而不是偿还具体的欠债。

  The teacher rewarded the whole class with extra recess for good behavior.

  老师奖励全班额外的课间休息时间，因为他们表现良好。

• repay

  Repay means to give back money, a favor, or kindness to the specific person who gave it, settling a debt or obligation you owe them directly.

  repay表示把金钱、恩惠或善意归还给当初给予自己的那个人，直接偿还欠对方的具体债务或人情。

  I finally saved enough money to repay the loan my brother gave me.

  我终于攒够钱偿还了哥哥借给我的贷款。

Both words mean giving something back for good behavior. Reward means giving praise, money, or a gift for good work, usually from someone in authority. Repay means giving back money or kindness to the exact person who gave it, settling a debt.

这两个词都表示因对方做了好事而有所回报，但reward更强调认可或表彰对方的良好表现或功劳，常由老师、雇主等权威一方给予，不一定是偿还具体的欠债；repay更强调把对方给予自己的具体恩惠或金钱直接归还给那个人，带有偿还欠债或人情的意味。