minimum wage

noun

1
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Other factors, like a federal minimum wage of $7.50 that has not changed since 2009 and a private healthcare system, also likely contributed to its low ranking. Aliss Higham, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 July 2025 In May, the council passed an ordinance to raise the minimum wage for hotel and airport workers to $30 per hour — higher than the city’s minimum wage — with Park, Rodriguez and Councilmember John Lee voting against it. Los Angeles Times, 5 July 2025 These cities have a minimum wage above $17 per hour. Angela Rodriguez, Sacbee.com, 1 July 2025 In Alaska, the statewide minimum wage is now $13.00 an hour, up from $11.91 — meaning a full-time, year-round worker in Alaska will receive an average annual wage increase of $925, according to the report. Natalie Wu, CNBC, 1 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for minimum wage

Word History

First Known Use

1860, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of minimum wage was in 1860

Cite this Entry

“Minimum wage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/minimum%20wage. Accessed 14 Jul. 2025.

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

More from Merriam-Webster on minimum wage

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