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

According to the court, Smith fraudulently caused his employer to stop withholding payroll taxes while his income remained unfiled. —Adam Thompson, CBS News, 15 Apr. 2026

Among the payroll compensation, according to the city data, BPS employees received over $1 million in injury payments between 93 staff members and about $400,000 in overtime payments between 126. —Grace Zokovitch, Boston Herald, 15 Apr. 2026

One high payroll team coaxing away an elite performer from another free spender made for a delicious side dish to this week’s three-game series and the plot has only thickened. —Doug Padilla, Oc Register, 14 Apr. 2026

So what my firm was never good at is trying to calculate the CPI within a tenth or GDP or non-farm payrolls. —Eleanor Mueller, semafor.com, 14 Apr. 2026

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