Definition

Noun: A check issued by an employer to an employee as payment for wages or salary earned during a specific pay period. It represents the amount of money the employee receives after deductions such as taxes and insurance.

Usage

The word "paycheck" is used to refer to the physical check or, more commonly today, the direct deposit advice that details an employee's earnings and deductions for a specific pay period. It is a concrete representation of one's compensation for work.

Examples

• I deposit my paycheck every other Friday.
• Her first paycheck from the new job was smaller than expected due to the initial setup of tax withholdings.
• He eagerly awaited his paycheck to cover his monthly bills.

Advanced Usage

• "Live paycheck to paycheck": An idiom describing a situation where a person uses their entire paycheck to cover living expenses, with little or no money left for savings or emergencies.
  • Many families are struggling and live paycheck to paycheck.

Variants and Related Words

• Pay stub (noun): The detachable part of a paycheck that lists the details of earnings and deductions. Often used synonymously with "paycheck" in the context of direct deposit.
  • I checked my pay stub to see how much was taken out for taxes.
• Salary (noun): A fixed regular payment, typically expressed as an annual sum, paid to an employee.
• Wages (noun): Payment for labor or services, typically based on hours worked or quantity produced.

Synonyms

• Earnings
• Remuneration (formal)
• Compensation

Related Idioms

• "The paycheck isn't everything": A saying meaning that job satisfaction, work environment, or other non-monetary benefits are also important, not just the salary.
  • I took a lower-paying job that I love. The paycheck isn't everything.

Noun

1. a check issued in payment of wages or salary