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 Suns have entered new NBA territory, becoming the first team in history to exceed $300 million in combined payroll and luxury tax penalties to completely miss the postseason. —Shane Young, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025

Sources close to the production have told us that there is at least a $1 million shortfall in payroll. —Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 9 Apr. 2025

And the team is second-to-last in active MLB payroll. —Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2025

Owner Bob Nutting has drawn scorn from fans for not investing more in player payroll, which has never ranked higher than 20th in the 30-team league, and never featured an Opening Day payroll at $100 million or more under his tenure. —Gordon G. Chang, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 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