paycheck

noun

pay·​check ˈpā-ˌchek How to pronounce paycheck (audio)
1
: a check in payment of wages or salary
2

Examples of paycheck in a Sentence

I went to the office to pick up my paycheck. Your weekly paycheck will be almost $600 after taxes.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The next paycheck for controllers is scheduled for Tuesday, but that will only include payment for hours worked before the shutdown. Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 8 Oct. 2025 Guardsmen serving under state orders—known as State Active Duty or Title 32 status—are paid through state budgets, meaning their paychecks continue even during a federal shutdown. Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Oct. 2025 By a constellation of good luck and better politics, most federal employees got their last paycheck in the final hours before the shutdown. Phil Elliott, Time, 8 Oct. 2025 The Star-Telegram has also reached out to the Senate’s Disbursing Office and the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer in the House seeking information about which Tarrant County lawmakers have asked that their paychecks be withheld. Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for paycheck

Word History

First Known Use

1899, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of paycheck was in 1899

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Paycheck.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/paycheck. Accessed 10 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

paycheck

noun
pay·​check ˈpā-ˌchek How to pronounce paycheck (audio)
: a check in payment of wages or salary

More from Merriam-Webster on paycheck

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!