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 Royals ended last season with a payroll of about $118 million, sources said.
—
Ken Rosenthal, The Athletic, 1 Feb. 2025
All governments employ major labor forces at a very high cost to taxpayers and derive much of their revenue from company payroll taxes and employee income taxes.
—Chris Boudreau, Rolling Stone, 31 Jan. 2025
Measuring the macro economy, the January nonfarm payrolls report is due out next Friday.
—Sarah Min, CNBC, 31 Jan. 2025
The document includes a plan to eliminate income taxes (but maintain payroll taxes) on tips, at a cost of $106 billion over a decade.
—Robert Faturechi, ProPublica, 30 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for payroll 
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Ken Rosenthal, The Athletic, 1 Feb. 2025
All governments employ major labor forces at a very high cost to taxpayers and derive much of their revenue from company payroll taxes and employee income taxes.
—Chris Boudreau, Rolling Stone, 31 Jan. 2025
Measuring the macro economy, the January nonfarm payrolls report is due out next Friday.
—Sarah Min, CNBC, 31 Jan. 2025
The document includes a plan to eliminate income taxes (but maintain payroll taxes) on tips, at a cost of $106 billion over a decade.
—Robert Faturechi, ProPublica, 30 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for payroll
Dictionary Entries Near payroll
Cite this Entry
“Payroll.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/payroll. Accessed 10 Feb. 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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