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

The railroad’s willingness to pay the bill, including slimming down its own office payroll to free up more funds, appears to have limited the reputational damage enough for serious merger talks to proceed on down the tracks. —Jeremy Lott, The Washington Examiner, 5 Sep. 2025

Economists also expect Thursday's ADP private payrolls report to show a softer print for August, and jobless claims data is expected to show a slight uptick. —Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 4 Sep. 2025

Springer transformed from payroll anchor to potential down-ballot MVP candidate. —Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2025

However, a hotter-than-expected payroll reading may cause some central bankers to keep on pause, said Joe Brusuelas, RSM US chief economist. —Alicia Wallace, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 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