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Synonyms

paymaster

American  
[pey-mas-ter, -mah-ster] / ˈpeɪˌmæs tər, -ˌmɑ stər /

noun

  1. a person authorized by a company, government, etc., to pay out wages or salaries, especially in the military.


paymaster British  
/ ˈpeɪˌmɑːstə /

noun

  1. an official of a government, business, etc, responsible for the payment of wages and salaries

"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

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of paymaster

First recorded in 1540–50; pay 1 + master

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Young voters who were previously unaware that L.A. even had a controller were galvanized by Mejia’s unorthodox campaign, which directed an unprecedented spotlight toward L.A.’s chief accounting officer, auditor and paymaster.

From Los Angeles Times Sep. 15, 2025

As for Cohen’s and others’ actions to implement the scheme, Trump Organization paymaster Deborah Tarasoff testified that the defendant or his sons had to approve any check for more than $10,000.

From Salon May 24, 2024

Olaf Scholz, the leader of the EU's paymaster Germany, concluded the negotiations were only starting in earnest: "We are still at the beginning, the positions ... are not matching yet."

From Reuters Oct. 26, 2023

Commons Leader and former paymaster general Penny Mordaunt is to give evidence on Monday with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak appearing on Wednesday.

From BBC Jul. 24, 2023

The cadaverous Volantene, Gorys Eidoryen, had replaced Strickland as paymaster.

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin

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