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
Like in a typical Chapter 11, Hudson’s Bay will be examining its store fleet, payroll and other operations and assets to determine what should be kept or disposed.
—
David Moin, WWD, 7 Mar. 2025
Musk and the White House did not return requests seeking any evidence that the federal government has nonexistent people on its payroll.
—Bobby Allyn, NPR, 6 Mar. 2025
The package offer is part of Elon Musk’s initiatives to cut government spending and payrolls, via the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
—Chris Westfall, Forbes, 6 Mar. 2025
Private sector job creation slowed to a crawl in February, fueling concerns of an economic slowdown, payrolls processing firm ADP reported Wednesday.
—Ari Levy, CNBC, 6 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for payroll
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David Moin, WWD, 7 Mar. 2025
Musk and the White House did not return requests seeking any evidence that the federal government has nonexistent people on its payroll.
—Bobby Allyn, NPR, 6 Mar. 2025
The package offer is part of Elon Musk’s initiatives to cut government spending and payrolls, via the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
—Chris Westfall, Forbes, 6 Mar. 2025
Private sector job creation slowed to a crawl in February, fueling concerns of an economic slowdown, payrolls processing firm ADP reported Wednesday.
—Ari Levy, CNBC, 6 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for payroll
Cite this Entry
“Payroll.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/payroll. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
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