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 director leads a department with one part-time staffer in a department that should have 2.5 full-time equivalent staffing instead of 1.5, based on the 330 employees on the city’s payroll, Bonta said. —Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 7 Feb. 2025

Economists polled by Dow Jones are anticipating nonfarm payrolls growth to have cooled to 169,000 new jobs in January, down from the 256,000 jobs added in December. —Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 7 Feb. 2025

However, nonfarm payrolls data released alongside the unemployment figures came in below forecasts, with only 143,000 jobs added in January. —Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 7 Feb. 2025

Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) clashed last weekend with USAID officials who tried to deny Musk's team of tech wizards access to secure government payroll and systems. —Marc Caputo, Axios, 6 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1740, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing payroll

• payroll deduction
• payroll tax

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