payday

[ pey-dey ]

noun

the day on which wages are given, payment is made, etc.
Informal. a day or period during which a great deal of money, success, fame, etc., is won or obtained: Payday came when she was given a screen test by a big Hollywood studio.

Origin of payday

First recorded in 1520–30; pay¹ + day

Words Nearby payday

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use payday in a sentence

What we’ve prided ourselves on is that we’ve never, ever missed a payday for our employees.
Let’s Talk About Kevin | Eugene Robinson | January 23, 2021 | Ozy
“I can’t comment on specifically payday lenders, but we are aware of those, and this is part of our data verification and identity management controls that we are seeking to have with our new round,” the official said.
Debt collectors, payday lenders collected over $500 million in federal pandemic relief | Peter Whoriskey, Joel Jacobs, Aaron Gregg | January 15, 2021 | Washington Post
Each payday would be worth hundreds of millions—or even billions—depending on the stock’s fortunes.
Tesla founder Elon Musk surpasses Jeff Bezos as world’s richest human | Michael J. Coren | January 7, 2021 | Quartz
Strip clubs and payday lenders argued their businesses had been hurt by the virus, too, and many of them ended up receiving loans.
More than half of emergency small-business funds went to larger businesses, new data shows | Jonathan O'Connell, Andrew Van Dam, Aaron Gregg, Alyssa Fowers | December 2, 2020 | Washington Post
The payday loan industry has seen a steep decline in business, too.
It’s easy to assume pawnshops are doing great in the pandemic. It’s also wrong. | Emily Stewart | November 30, 2020 | Vox

It was a Friday—payday—and for many employees, it would be their last day.
The Godfather of Right-Wing Radio | Caitlin Dickson | November 23, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
“Right now, I just came out of a hearing on payday lending,” Warren told me.
Here’s What Happens When the GOP Takes Over the Senate | Michael Tomasky | April 30, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Big payday at stake—players expected to leave goof butts home.
Up to a Point: P.J. O’Rourke on SOTU, the Super Bowl and Nukes | P. J. O’Rourke | January 31, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
In Dublin, land of a thousand Joyce walking tours, Bloomsday has come to mean payday.
Best Year Ever: How 1922 Birthed Modernism | Mark Braude | September 14, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
How to avoid borrowing lots of money at high interest rates (e.g. credit cards and payday loans).
Why Don't Americans Save? | Megan McArdle | March 13, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
On every payday Vergine was on hand to receive his percentage.
Caruso and Tetrazzini on the Art of Singing | Enrico Caruso and Luisa Tetrazzini
The first stone was so big that working at full speed, every time it turned around once it was payday.
The Marvelous Exploits of Paul Bunyan | W. B. Laughead
He would always pay me back at payday and a week later he would start borrowing again.
The Biography of a Rabbit | Roy Benson
The boys were still playing poker and Al Johnson was still borrowing money and paying me back every payday.
The Biography of a Rabbit | Roy Benson
In Venusport, on payday-night, it is difficult to tell for certain where the town leaves off and the pink elephants begin.
Shock Treatment | Stanley Mullen

British Dictionary definitions for payday

payday

/ (ˈpeɪˌdeɪ) /

noun

the day on which wages or salaries are paid

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Browse