Payroll Meaning
/ˈpeɪˌɹəʊl/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA list of employees who receive salary or wages, together with the amounts due to each.
nounThe total sum of money paid to employees.
Sentence Examples
How many people are there on the payroll?
In Japan, the payroll tax is usually withheld from the monthly salary.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The finance department calculated the total ____ for all employees last month.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The finance department processes the company ____ every fortnight and ensures all taxes are deducted.
Word Origin & History
From pay + roll.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Magazines kept aristocrats on the payroll to facilitate access to jet-set playgrounds like Corfu and Mustique."
— 2025 June 27, Michael M. Grynbaum, “The Concorde-and-Caviar Era of Condé Nast, When Magazines Ruled the Earth”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, archived from the original on 27 Jun 2025:
"I know that the deal started with the boys in Santiago, because they’ve been on the d’Anconia pay roll for centuries — well, no, ‘pay roll’ is an honorable word, it would be more exact to say that d’Anconia Copper has been paying them protection money for centuries — isn't that what your gangsters call it?"
— 1957, Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged:
"We can spread a rumor this cop was dirty. Look, Tom, we have newspaper people on the payroll, don't we?"
— 1972, The Godfather, spoken by Michael Corleone:
"Grantees may elect to payroll the enrollees through their own payroll system if the payroll system is consistent with regulations contained herein."
— 1985, The Code of Federal regulations of the United States of America, page 37:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The finance department calculated the total ____ for all employees last month.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The finance department processes the company ____ every fortnight and ensures all taxes are deducted.