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Synonyms

payroll

American  
[pey-rohl] / ˈpeɪˌroʊl /

noun

  1. a list of employees to be paid, pay, with the amount due to each.

  2. the sum total of these amounts.

  3. the actual money on hand for distribution.

    The bandits got away with the payroll.

  4. the total number of people employed by a business firm or organization.

verb (used with object)

  1. to fund or subsidize.

    to be payrolled by the State Department.
payroll British  
/ ˈpeɪˌrəʊl /

noun

  1. a list of employees, specifying the salary or wage of each

    1. the total of these amounts or the actual money equivalent

    2. ( as modifier )

      a payroll tax
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of payroll

First recorded in 1765–75; pay 1 + roll

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Treinen went on to say that teams don’t necessarily need to be lavish spenders in order to compete, pointing to how the Milwaukee Brewers posted baseball’s best record a season ago, with the 22nd-highest payroll.

From Los Angeles Times

He also said: “We decreased our projections of revenues from payroll taxes to account for projections of lower earnings.”

From MarketWatch

U.S. jobs data are back in focus in the coming week, with monthly nonfarm payrolls data for February due on Friday.

From The Wall Street Journal

But lately it’s used for routine tasks such as “l’m leaning in to finish payroll” or ‘I’m going to lean in and have lunch.”

From The Wall Street Journal

This year, they opted for a player who isn’t as good but reduces payroll.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.