payday

American  

[pey-dey] / ˈpeɪˌdeɪ /

noun

1. the day on which wages are given, payment is made, etc.

2. 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.

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payday British  

/ ˈpeɪˌdeɪ /

noun

1. the day on which wages or salaries are paid

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Etymology

Origin of payday

First recorded in 1520–30; pay ¹ + day

Explanation

When you have a job, your payday is the day you get paid. You might wait to buy yourself a new outfit until after payday. Some jobs have a weekly payday — maybe Fridays are payday at the ice cream shop where you work. In other cases, you have to wait two weeks, or even a month, between paydays. You can also use payday to mean a sudden success or influx of money, either earned or won: "That movie brought a huge payday to its producers." Since 1932, there's also been a peanut and nougat-based candy bar called PayDay.

Example Sentences

Appeared in the September 22, 2025, print edition as 'Railroad Deal Means Big Payday for Banker'.

From The Wall Street Journal • Sep. 20, 2025

A nephew who kept stealing his father’s Payday candy bars over Christmas earned the nickname Payday.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 12, 2025

A recap: Payday lenders had sued the C.F.P.B. over a rule that would limit the number of times they could withdraw money from a customer’s account for repayment.

From New York Times • May 17, 2024

The ruling invalidated the Payday Lending Rule, which became effective in 2018.

From Washington Times • Feb. 27, 2023

When Mr. Grayson had everyone pull out the money game, Payday, that they played on Fridays, Bat slipped away from his table and headed to the back of the room.

From "A Boy Called Bat" by Elana K. Arnold