Meaning trap
pay back
get revenge
to do something to someone because they did something bad to you first.
Don't mix these meanings
Same phrase, different job.
to do something to someone because they did something bad to you first.
Another meaning of 'pay back' is 'return money'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.
Hear it in context
Notice where the phrase sounds natural.
She played a prank on me, so I paid her back by hiding her phone.
Sometimes, people feel the need to pay someone back if they’ve been treated unfairly, but I think it’s better to just move on.
Fix the pattern
One small grammar move makes it sound right.
Not: I'll pay back him for that.
Say: I'll pay him back for that.
With a pronoun, the object goes in the middle: 'pay him back'.
Which sounds natural?
Tap the one a native speaker would say.
'Pay back' is the casual way to talk about revenge; 'exact retribution' is melodramatic.
Build natural chunks
Words that usually travel with it.
pay + someone + back
- him back
- you back
- back for
- in kind
Don't confuse it
Related
Other meanings and phrases to compare.
- pay back (return money) — Another meaning of 'pay back' is 'return money'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.