Meaning & use
one-off payment
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
A single payment made once, not repeated regularly.
Grammar: Countable noun; plural is 'one-off payments'. Often used with 'make', 'receive', or 'pay'.
Patterns
- make a one-off payment
- receive a one-off payment
- a one-off payment of £100
The company made a one-off payment to each employee as a bonus.
She received a one-off payment from the insurance company after the accident.
Instead of monthly fees, you can choose a one-off payment for the whole year.
Word forms
| plural | one-off payments |
|---|
Common combinations
- make a one-off payment
- You can make a one-off payment online using your credit card.
- a one-off payment of
- They agreed on a one-off payment of $5,000 to settle the debt.
- one-off payment plan
- The one-off payment plan lets you pay everything at once.
- receive a one-off payment
- He received a one-off payment for the use of his photo.
Synonyms and how they differ
- lump sum
- A lump sum is a single large amount paid at one time, often instead of smaller regular payments; it is more formal and usually refers to a larger amount.
- single payment
- Single payment is a general term for one payment, but it does not emphasize that it happens only once; 'one-off' stresses the non-recurring nature.
Opposites
Commonly confused: one-off payment or one-off?
one-off payment vs one-off
As an adjective, 'one-off' means happening only once (e.g., a one-off event). The noun phrase 'one-off payment' is a specific type of payment.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'one-off payment' correctly?
Choose one answer.
A one-off payment is made only once, not repeatedly. Option B correctly shows a single payment for permanent use. Option An is wrong because 'every month' means regular payments. Option C is wrong because 'each trip' suggests multiple payments. Option D contradicts 'one-off' with 'weekly installments'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “one-off payment”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.