payroll
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.the official list of people who work for a company and receive a salary.
n.the register of employees entitled to receive compensation from an organisation.
Simple“The company has over five hundred people on its payroll this year.”
In context“The merger resulted in a significant expansion of the payroll, necessitating a complete overhaul of the human resources database.”
Synonymsstaff listpersonnel - 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.the total amount of money a company pays to all its workers.
n.the total sum of wages and salaries paid by an employer to its staff during a specific period.
Simple“The small business struggled to meet its monthly payroll during the slow season.”
In context“The chief financial officer expressed concern that the annual payroll was increasing at a faster rate than the company's net revenue.”
Synonymswage billsalary costs - 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.the department in a company that handles paying salaries and taxes.
n.the administrative department or functional process responsible for calculating earnings and withholding taxes.
Simple“If you have a question about your tax code, you should contact payroll.”
In context“The payroll department is currently transitioning to an automated system to reduce errors in overtime calculations.”
Synonymsaccountsfinance department - 04 C2 Proficiency
n.money paid secretly to people to make them do what you want.
n.a sum of money used for regular bribes or illegal payments to ensure cooperation.
Simple“The corrupt politician had several local police officers on his payroll.”
In context“Investigative journalists uncovered evidence that the cartel had placed high-ranking officials on a secret payroll to ensure safe passage for their shipments.”
UsageOften used with the preposition 'on'.
- 05 C1 Advanced
v.to put someone on the official list of employees so they can be paid.
v.to place an individual on a formal payroll for the purpose of salary administration.
Simple“We need to payroll the new interns before they start work on Monday.”
In context“The agency was contracted to payroll the temporary staff, handling all tax obligations and insurance contributions on behalf of the client.”
From pay + roll.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.