paycheck

[pey-chek]

noun

1. a bank check given as salary or wages.

2. salary or wages.

   One can stretch the paycheck only just so far.

Word History and Origins

Origin of paycheck¹

First recorded in 1900–05; pay ¹ + check ¹

Example Sentences

The picture is getting even murkier thanks to the federal government shutdown, which could leave millions of Americans without paychecks and means investors won’t be receiving regularly scheduled macroeconomic data about employment and prices.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

These workers are turning to gig jobs—such as driving for Lyft or taking care of pets on Rover—to stay afloat until their paychecks resume, a reflection of increasing job instability for government employees.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Employees typically have state and federal taxes automatically withheld from their paychecks.

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Young retired from the DEA in 2024, but was allowed to collect a paycheck on administrative leave for roughly 18 months after the alleged attack on Doherty, according to two federal law enforcement officials.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Soon after, though, he learned his federal job was categorized as excepted—he would continue to work in the office, albeit without receiving a paycheck for now.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

When To Use

What does paycheck mean?

A paycheck is the bank check that is given to an employee by their employer to pay them for their work.Paycheck is also used more generally to refer to the money a person is paid for their work, as in Most of my paycheck goes to paying rent and bills. It can refer to wages (payment based on the time spent working or the number of items worked on) or a salary (a set amount paid over time).A paycheck can be an actual piece of paper (a check) that a person can take to the bank to deposit to their account or exchange for cash. Alternatively, a paycheck can be money a company electronically deposits directly into the employee’s bank account. This is often referred to as a direct deposit.Paychecks are often issued to employees every two weeks, but they can also be given weekly, bimonthly, or monthly. Typically, a paycheck also includes information about the  taxes and deductions that have been taken out of an employee’s pay.Paychecks are the most common method of payment in the U.S. for most part-time and full-time employees. Jobs that involve payments of cash or other compensation are much less common.Example: I’m thankful that my work allows me to earn a steady paycheck, but I dream of starting my own business.