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Definition of paydown

paydown

/ˈpeɪ.daʊn/
Plural:paydowns
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paydown Lexical Profile

paydown Game Scores & Validity

• noun

1

North American The partial or gradual repayment of a loan or debt that reduces the total principal amount owed; in public finance, the amount by which a government retires maturing bonds without issuing an equivalent amount of new debt.

Example

"The company prioritized a rapid debt paydown to improve its credit rating before the end of the fiscal year."

Synonyms
View all synonyms for paydown
Antonyms
View all antonyms for paydown

Word Nuance & Usage

"Paydown" as a closed compound is used exclusively as a noun or noun adjunct (e.g., "a debt paydown"), whereas the two-word phrasal verb "pay down" is used for the action (e.g., "to pay down a mortgage").

• Rhymes for paydown

• Nearby Words

paycheck
payday
paydirt
paydown
payee
payer
paygrade

Usage Trend

Historical frequency of usage in published text.

180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Paydown. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Nov 5, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/paydown
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