salary

American  

[sal-uh-ree] / ˈsæl ə ri /

noun

• salaries
  plural

1. a fixed compensation periodically paid to a person for regular work or services.

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salary British  

/ ˈsælərɪ /

noun

1. a fixed regular payment made by an employer, often monthly, for professional or office work as opposed to manual work Compare wage

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verb

1. (tr) to pay a salary to

Usage

What is a salary? A salary is a fixed, regular payment in exchange for work. This is different from earning a fee that depends on how many hours you work (earning a fixed rate per hour) or how much work you do, sometimes called piecework. When you earn a salary, it is usually stated as the amount of money you will receive in one year for doing the work (before any taxes are paid). You will then be paid in equal amounts each pay period over the course of that year, even when you are on a paid vacation. How often you are paid will vary from company to company, with every other week and twice a month being most common. To salary someone is to pay them a salary. A salaried employee is someone who is paid a salary instead of paid another way, such as paid by the hour. Example: How can they expect me to live my best life when I’m paid on such a low salary?

Synonym Usage

See pay ¹.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• salaryless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• salaries
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of salary

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English salarie, from Anglo-French, from Latin salārium “money given to soldiers to buy salt, salt money.” See sal, -ary

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Compare meaning

How does salary compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• stipend vs. salary

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Explanation

The pay or wages you earn for doing your job is called your salary. You might prefer your low-paying job to one with a higher salary because you have so much fun with your co-workers. Salary comes from the Latin word salarium, which also means "salary" and has the root sal, or "salt." In ancient Rome, it specifically meant the amount of money allotted to a Roman soldier to buy salt, which was an expensive but essential commodity. Today, salt is an inexpensive purchase at the grocery store, and your salary is certainly to be paid in your country's currency.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

salary salaries

The owners’ initial proposal set a salary cap of $245 million next year.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

Stacking benefits on top of a good salary makes that more likely.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026

The 2025 University Funding Law calls for inflation-linked salary increases dated to December 2023, as well as the restoration of student scholarships and more funding for university operations.

From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026

In those cases, employees generally receive only their base salary and bonus, which are funded out of management fees.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026

The check for the final week’s salary was not due until the end of the week.

From "Mr. Popper's Penguins" by Florence Atwater and Richard Atwater

Victoria Coronel, a student at the University of Matanza in Buenos Aires province, echoed some of the French students' grievances, including "broken things don't get fixed" and teachers leaving the profession because of low salaries.

From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026

Endowments fund a portion of school operating budgets and pay for financial aid, research and teaching salaries.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

At the time the 1736 FCC paid for these additional benefits, Adelkoff was already earning one of the highest base salaries among nonprofit executives overseeing homelessness programs in the L.A. area.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026

Willa Morton, 25, says she doesn't think couples necessarily need to reveal their salaries at all.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

Some find the salaries and perks compensating; the developments that cater to them come with big houses, schools with top SAT scores, parks for youth sports, and upscale shopping strips.

From "Class Matters" by The New York Times

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Related Words

• earnings
• fee
• income
• pay
• payroll
• stipend
• wage

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