variants
or British pay cheque
ˈpeɪˌtʃɛk
plural paychecks
1
: a check that is used to pay an employee for his or her work
I went to the office to pick up my paycheck.
a big paycheck [=a paycheck for a large amount of money]
(US) We are living paycheck to paycheck [=we spend all of the money from one paycheck before we receive the next paycheck] and have no money left over for savings.
2
chiefly US
: the money that you regularly earn : a wage or salary
Your weekly paycheck will be almost $600 after taxes.
When I was in college, I earned my first steady paycheck [=I was earning money regularly for the first time] as a waitress.
Cite this Entry
“Paycheck.” Merriam-Webster.com Simple Definition, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/simple/paycheck. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.
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