per diem1 nounper diem2 adverb
per diemper di‧em1 /pə ˈdiːəm $ pər-/ noun [countable] American English 
ExamplesEXAMPLES FROM THE CORPUS
word sets- All per diems paid to business owners are wages unless the owners have receipts to cover the per diem allowance.
- Businesspeople who use the per diem rule get into trouble because they overpay per diem rates.
- But then they gave, she gave me the per diem breakdowns and you know the two dinners were what?
- For people who think this way, there is an alternative system for documenting travel expenses: the per diem rule.
- Owners of businesses are not permitted to reimburse their own travel expenses under the per diem rules.
WORD SETS► Wages
1an amount of money that an employer pays a worker for each day that is worked2an amount of money that a worker is allowed to spend when doing his or her job, for example on a business trip: bonus, noundanger money, noundirect deposit, noundouble time, nounearnings, nounincrement, nounindex-linked, adjectiveliving wage, nounlow-paid, adjectivemeans, nounovertime, nounpay, verbpay, nounpaycheque, nounpayday, nounPAYE, nounpay packet, nounpay rise, nounpayroll, nounpayslip, nounper diem, nounperformance-related pay, nounraise, nounredundancy pay, nounrise, nounsalaried, adjectivesalary, nounsub, nounsub, verbsuperannuation, nounsuperannuation scheme, nountake-home pay, nounwage, nounwage-earner, nounwage-packet, nounweighting, nounwell-paid, adjective
a per diem allowanceper diem1 nounper diem2 adverb
per diemper diem2 adverb American English formal Word OriginWORD ORIGINper diem2
ExamplesOrigin:
1500-1600 Latin ‘by the day’EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
word sets- Our consultants receive $500 per diem plus expenses.
WORD SETS► Chronology
for each day or on each day: AD, advance, verbafter, prepositionafternoon, nounalarm, nounalarm clock, nouna.m., Anno Domini, annual, adjectiveApril, nounAsh Wednesday, nounAug., August, nounautumn, nounautumnal, adjectivebank holiday, nounBC, BCE, biannual, adjectivebicentenary, nounbicentennial, nounbiennial, adjectivebimonthly, adjectivebirthday, nounbiweekly, adjectivebonfire night, nounBoxing Day, nounBritish Summer Time, nounBST, nouncalendar, nouncalendar month, nouncalendar year, nouncarriage clock, nouncentenary, nouncentury, nounChristmas, nounChristmas Day, nounChristmas Eve, nounChristmastime, nounchronograph, nounchronological, adjectivechronometer, nouncircadian, adjectiveclock, nouncrystal, nouncuckoo clock, nouncycle, nouncyclic, adjectivedaily, adjectivedaily, adverbdate, noundate, verbdawn, nounday, nounDec., decade, nounDecember, noundiamond anniversary, noundiamond jubilee, noundinnertime, noundiurnal, adjectived.o.b., due date, noundusk, nounface, nounFather's Day, nounfeast, nounFebruary, nounfortnightly, adjectiveFourth of July, the, Fri., Friday, nounGood Friday, nounGreenwich Mean Time, nounGregorian calendar, nounguy, nounGuy Fawkes Night, nounhalf-hourly, adjectivehalf-yearly, adjectiveHalloween, nounhand, nounHanukkah, nounharvest festival, nounHogmanay, nounhorn, nounhour, nounhourglass, nounhour hand, nounhr, Independence Day, nounJan., January, nounjubilee, nounJuly, nounJune, nounLabor Day, nounleap year, nounlunar month, nounmainspring, nounman-hour, nounMar., March, nounMardi Gras, nounmarket day, nounMaundy Thursday, nounMay, nounMay Day, nounMichaelmas, nounmidday, nounmiddle age, nounmiddle-aged, adjectivemidnight, nounMidsummer Day, nounmidweek, adjectivemillennium, nounmin., minute hand, nounMon., Monday, nounmonth, nounmorn, nounmorning, nounMothering Sunday, nounMother's Day, nounmovable feast, nounnew moon, nounNew Year, nounNew Year's Day, nounNew Year's Eve, nounnight, nounnightfall, nounnighttime, nounnocturnal, adjectiveNoel, nounnoon, nounnoonday, adjectiveNov., November, nounOct., October, nounp.a., Pancake Day, nounPDT, penultimate, adjectiveper annum, adverbper diem, adverbperiodic, adjectivep.m., PST, public holiday, nounquarter, nounquotidian, adjectiveRemembrance Day, nounSat., Saturday, nounschoolday, nounseason, nounsecond, nounsecond hand, nounself-winding, adjectiveSeptember, nounshockproof, adjectivesilver anniversary, nounsilver jubilee, nounsilver wedding anniversary, nounsolar year, nounsolstice, nounspring, nounspringtime, nounstandard time, nounstopwatch, nounsummer, nounsummer solstice, nounsummertime, nounsummery, adjectiveSun., Sunday, nounsundown, nounsunrise, nounsunset, nounsun-up, nountercentenary, nounThanksgiving, nounthirty, numberThursday, nountime, nountime, verbtimepiece, nountimer, nountime signal, nountime warp, nountime zone, nountoday, adverbtoday, nountomorrow, adverbtomorrow, nountonight, adverbtonight, nountriennial, adjectiveTuesday, nountwilight, nounWed., Wednesday, nounweek, nounweekday, nounweekend, nounweekly, adjectiveweeknight, nounWhit, nounWhitsun, nounwinter, nounwintertime, nounwk., wristwatch, nounyear, nounyesterday, adverbyr., Yule, nounYuletide, noun
workers who are paid per diem