minimum wage

noun

1

: living wage

2

: the lowest wage paid or permitted to be paid

specifically : a wage fixed by legal authority or by contract as the least that may be paid either to employed persons generally or to a particular category of employed persons

Examples of minimum wage in a Sentence

Congress will vote on a bill to raise the minimum wage.

Recent Examples on the Web

Gonzales ran with a platform decisively to the left, supporting Medicare-for-all, raising the minimum wage and cracking down on junk fees. — Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 1 July 2026

Candidates at Tuesday’s forum largely focused on affordability and education, often agreeing with each other on matters like increasing the federal minimum wage and the need for access to quality affordable housing. — Raisa Habersham july 1, Miami Herald, 1 July 2026

Some lawmakers say the Pennsylvania State Senate is stalling on a bill to increase the state's minimum wage. — Ross Guidotti, CBS News, 30 June 2026

Finding reliable caregivers willing to do demanding, intimate work for little more than minimum wage is already difficult. — Mike Hixenbaugh, NBC news, 30 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1860, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for minimum wage

• alienage
• age
• gauge
• phage
• plage
• rage
• stage
• assuage
• backstage
• bocage
• downstage
• engage

Kids Definition

minimum wage

noun

: a wage fixed (as by law) as the least that may be paid to employed persons

Legal Definition

minimum wage

noun

: a wage fixed by contract or especially by law as the least that may be paid either to employees generally or to a particular category of employees compare scale