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

In contrast, the business owner who elects to file taxes as an S corporation only pays payroll taxes of $15.3K on their compensation. —Cindy McGhee, Forbes.com, 24 Apr. 2025

Base unemployment payroll taxes on the number of workers a firm lays off rather than the number of successful jobless claims so companies don't have an incentive to discourage employees from applying. —Paul Davidson, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2025

The Department of Corrections paid the next most, at $5.6 million, or 4.9% of its payroll, which was the highest share of any department. —Thomas Goodwin Smith, Baltimore Sun, 23 Apr. 2025

But make no mistake, while payroll disparity in baseball is real and getting worse, Manfred can’t help but concede it is exasperated by his equally real owner problem. —Bill Madden, New York Daily News, 19 Apr. 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