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

Two weeks later, human resource director Heather Deitz was charged with fraud and theft for allegedly diverting close to $50,000 in taxpayer money into a bogus payroll account and cashing the checks herself. —Andy Sheehan, CBS News, 11 Dec. 2025

And for several years running, the Padres' financial situation is creating questions about whether other stars will need to be traded away to trim a payroll that was inflated by long-term contracts handed out under the late Peter Seidler's watch as owner. —Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2025

The individual allegedly linked to Moore, whose LinkedIn profile lists her as an Executive Assistant to the Head Football Coach at the University of Michigan, earned just over $58,000 in 2023 and 2024, according to public payroll information. —Amber Harding Outkick, FOXNews.com, 11 Dec. 2025

In the void came data from ADP, which shares private payroll data insights. —Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 11 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