Standard Lemma guide

payroll

noun · verb · 8 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • pā′rōl′
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈpeɪˌɹəʊl/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Canada, General-American: /ˈpeɪˌɹoʊl/
  • Australian: /ˈpæɪ̯ˌɹəʉl/
  • New-Zealand: /ˈpæɪ̯ˌɹɐʉl/
  • Scotland: /ˈpeˌɹol/
  • rhymes with -eɪɹəʊl
  • CMU ARPABET: P EY1 R OW2 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A list of employees who receive salary or wages, together with the amounts due to each.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

The total sum of money paid to employees.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

The calculation of salaries and wages and the deduction of taxes etc.; the department in a company responsible for this.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: accounting, business, finance

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

Bribes paid to people.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: euphemistic

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

verb

Meaning 5

To place on a payroll (noun sense 1).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

the department that determines the amounts of wage or salary due to each employee

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: payroll department

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: department, section

7

noun

Meaning 7

a list of employees and their salaries

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the company had a long payroll

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: paysheet

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: register

8

noun

Meaning 8

the total amount of money paid in wages

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the company had a large payroll

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: paysheet

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: sum, sum of money, amount, amount of money

History

Etymology

From pay + roll.

Across languages

Translations

43 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: платежна ведомост (platežna vedomost) — list of employees who receive salary or wages, together with the amounts due to each
  • Catalan: nòmina — list of employees who receive salary or wages, together with the amounts due to each
  • Dutch: loonlijst — list of employees who receive salary or wages, together with the amounts due to each
  • Finnish: palkkalista — list of employees who receive salary or wages, together with the amounts due to each
  • French: registre de paie — list of employees who receive salary or wages, together with the amounts due to each
  • French: paie — list of employees who receive salary or wages, together with the amounts due to each
  • German: Gehaltsliste — list of employees who receive salary or wages, together with the amounts due to each
  • German: Lohnliste — list of employees who receive salary or wages, together with the amounts due to each
  • Greek: μισθοδοσία (misthodosía) — list of employees who receive salary or wages, together with the amounts due to each
  • Hungarian: bérlista — list of employees who receive salary or wages, together with the amounts due to each
  • Italian: ruolino paga — list of employees who receive salary or wages, together with the amounts due to each
  • Italian: ruolo paga — list of employees who receive salary or wages, together with the amounts due to each
  • Polish: lista płac — list of employees who receive salary or wages, together with the amounts due to each
  • Romanian: stat de plată — list of employees who receive salary or wages, together with the amounts due to each
  • Russian: платёжная ве́домость (platjóžnaja védomostʹ) — list of employees who receive salary or wages, together with the amounts due to each
  • Russian: платёжные ве́домости (platjóžnyje védomosti) — list of employees who receive salary or wages, together with the amounts due to each
  • Spanish: nómina — list of employees who receive salary or wages, together with the amounts due to each
  • Spanish: planilla — list of employees who receive salary or wages, together with the amounts due to each
  • Spanish: plantilla — list of employees who receive salary or wages, together with the amounts due to each
  • Swedish: lönelista — list of employees who receive salary or wages, together with the amounts due to each
  • Tagalog: talasahuran — list of employees who receive salary or wages, together with the amounts due to each
  • Catalan: massa salarial — total sum of money paid to employees
  • Finnish: palkkasumma — total sum of money paid to employees
  • Finnish: palkkakulut — total sum of money paid to employees
  • French: masse salariale — total sum of money paid to employees
  • German: Gehaltskosten — total sum of money paid to employees
  • German: Lohnkosten — total sum of money paid to employees
  • Korean: 인건비 (in'geonbi) — total sum of money paid to employees
  • Polish: płaca — total sum of money paid to employees
  • Russian: фо́нд за́работной пла́ты (fónd zárabotnoj pláty) — total sum of money paid to employees
  • Tagalog: talasahuran — total sum of money paid to employees
  • Bulgarian: счетоводство (sčetovodstvo) — calculation of salaries and wages, department that does this
  • Finnish: palkanlaskenta — calculation of salaries and wages, department that does this
  • Finnish: palkkatoimisto — calculation of salaries and wages, department that does this
  • German: Gehaltsabrechnung — calculation of salaries and wages, department that does this
  • German: Lohn- und Gehaltsabteilung — calculation of salaries and wages, department that does this
  • Greek: μισθοδοσία (misthodosía) — calculation of salaries and wages, department that does this
  • Hungarian: bérszámfejtés — calculation of salaries and wages, department that does this
  • Polish: lista płac — calculation of salaries and wages, department that does this
  • Russian: расчётный ли́ст (rasčótnyj líst) — calculation of salaries and wages, department that does this
  • Russian: расчётные ли́стья (rasčótnyje lístʹja) — calculation of salaries and wages, department that does this
  • Russian: платёжная ве́домость (platjóžnaja védomostʹ) — calculation of salaries and wages, department that does this
  • Russian: платёжные ве́домости (platjóžnyje védomosti) — calculation of salaries and wages, department that does this
Real reading context

payroll in complete knowledge articles