payroll

noun

pay·​roll ˈpā-ˌrōl 

1

: a paymaster's or employer's list of those entitled to pay and of the amounts due to each

2

: the sum necessary for distribution to those on a payroll

also : the money to be distributed

Examples of payroll in a Sentence

They cut him from their payroll.

He's the manager of a baseball team with a $50 million payroll.

Businesses are keeping their payrolls low by embracing new technologies.

Recent Examples on the Web

That office has 124 employees as of this week, according to the Office of the Inspector General dashboard, while the city payroll is about 32,400. —Alice Yin, Chicago Tribune, 2 Jan. 2026

Economic outlook Nonfarm payrolls for December are set to release in the week ahead. —Sarah Min, CNBC, 2 Jan. 2026

That’s less than the $525,000 that Miami pays its current manager, Art Noriega, who took the job in 2020, according to city payroll records. —Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 31 Dec. 2025

Avidbank did end up authorizing the return of cash to cover Food52 employee’s payroll and 90% of its health insurance premiums, Badan said. —Bloomberg, Mercury News, 31 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1740, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing payroll

• payroll deduction
• payroll tax

Rhymes for payroll

• bankroll
• bedroll
• borehole
• cajole
• catchpole
• charcoal
• condole
• control
• dipole
• downhole
• enroll
• extol

Kids Definition

payroll

noun

pay·​roll ˈpā-ˌrōl 

1

: a list of persons entitled to receive pay with the amounts due to each

2

: the amount of money necessary to pay those on a payroll