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

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

Compare meaning

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

• stipend vs. salary

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 domestic emoluments clause provides for the president to receive a fixed salary and bars him from receiving “Any other emolument from the United States or any of them.”

From Slate ● Aug. 17, 2026

His salary has fluctuated with different jobs, and he has been a student, but the CMS has often struggled to keep up, he told us.

From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026

The combined salary of these underachievers is $309 million.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026

The league’s salary rules are making building a champion more complicated than ever.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026

Although his need for financial security may have been a factor in the marriage, everything went well at first, with Kepler now on full salary and enjoying a happy home life.

From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin

Though salaries remain the most important factor driving consumption, the equity market’s wealth effect is becoming increasingly influential, doubling its impact on spending since 1990.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 17, 2026

There is no slowdown on the horizon: AI companies continue signing on for more office space, attracting new people with top salaries who need somewhere to live.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026

Some apprenticeships can also lead to higher salaries after completion.

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

Nela Richardson, chief economist at the large payroll processor ADP, said people who switch jobs have seen a notable bump-up in salaries.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 6, 2026

In 1937, a typical year, the Rad Lab listed seventeen postdoctoral physics fellows on its staff but paid the salaries of only two.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

Related Words

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