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 income going into the trust fund is made up of payroll taxes contributed by employees and matched by their employer.
—
Thomas Hager, Forbes.com, 30 July 2025
And Dylan Cease has been the topic of trade discussions, as the Padres attempt to bolster their offense but are said by multiple sources to need to free up payroll space to do so.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 July 2025
Before that, traders will monitor economic data on private payrolls, gross domestic product and pending home sales due in the morning.
—Alex Harring, CNBC, 29 July 2025
Their current payroll against the tax is estimated to be nearly $235 million according to FanGraphs, while the CBT threshold this season is $241 million.
—Sam Blum, New York Times, 29 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for payroll
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Thomas Hager, Forbes.com, 30 July 2025
And Dylan Cease has been the topic of trade discussions, as the Padres attempt to bolster their offense but are said by multiple sources to need to free up payroll space to do so.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 July 2025
Before that, traders will monitor economic data on private payrolls, gross domestic product and pending home sales due in the morning.
—Alex Harring, CNBC, 29 July 2025
Their current payroll against the tax is estimated to be nearly $235 million according to FanGraphs, while the CBT threshold this season is $241 million.
—Sam Blum, New York Times, 29 July 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 6 Aug. 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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