payee

noun

pay·​ee (ˌ)pā-ˈē How to pronounce payee (audio)
: one to whom money is or is to be paid
The payee must endorse the back of the check.

Examples of payee in a Sentence

The payee must endorse the back of the check.
Recent Examples on the Web Also, check washers can remove all the writing from your checks except for the signature, so just filling out the payee line won’t prevent fraud. Liz Weston, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Jan. 2024 So companies that tailor payment options to the diverse needs of their payees have an edge. First Horizon Bank, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2023 Only the name of the payee was altered on one of the checks, while on the other, the payee was altered, as was the check’s amount, from $415.80 to $1,704.95. cleveland, 23 Aug. 2023 The most common type of check fraud is what’s known as check washing, where a criminal steals the check from the mail and proceeds to change the payee’s name on the check and, additionally, the amount of money. Ken Sweet, Fortune, 13 June 2023 Cybercriminals also need access to critical information such as payers, payees and other transaction details. Ryan Kalember, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2023 Urgent and long-term assistance to the homeless and at-risk families; meals; ID documentation; representative payee program; dental, medical and mental health services; job assistance and inner-city youth programs. Dallas News, 11 Feb. 2022 The aim was to trigger a bill or an audit when the IRS discovered the putative payee had not reported the income. Anne Diebel, The New York Review of Books, 24 Sep. 2020 Even so, Daniels isn’t the only alleged Trump payee prosecutors focused on in the case. Jonah Valdez, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'payee.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1758, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of payee was in 1758

Dictionary Entries Near payee

Cite this Entry

“Payee.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/payee. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

payee

noun
pay·​ee pā-ˈē How to pronounce payee (audio)
: one to whom money is paid or is to be paid

Legal Definition

payee

noun
pay·​ee ˌpā-ˈē How to pronounce payee (audio)
: a person to whom money is to be or has been paid
specifically : the person named in a bill of exchange, note, or check as the one to whom the amount is directed to be paid compare drawee, drawer

More from Merriam-Webster on payee

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