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
Over the last year, labor tensions over minimum wages and working conditions have intensified over the past year, even as global consumption patterns disrupted orders.
—
Mayu Saini, Sourcing Journal, 16 Feb. 2026
They are paid well below minimum wage for the work.
—Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 16 Feb. 2026
Raise the minimum wage rate to at least $15/hour and tie this raise to yearly adjustments based upon inflation indexing.
—Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Feb. 2026
The strike ended in October, with workers securing $20-an-hour minimum wages.
—Abby Church, Houston Chronicle, 12 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for minimum wage
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.
Mayu Saini, Sourcing Journal, 16 Feb. 2026
They are paid well below minimum wage for the work.
—Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 16 Feb. 2026
Raise the minimum wage rate to at least $15/hour and tie this raise to yearly adjustments based upon inflation indexing.
—Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Feb. 2026
The strike ended in October, with workers securing $20-an-hour minimum wages.
—Abby Church, Houston Chronicle, 12 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for minimum wage
Cite this Entry
“Minimum wage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/minimum%20wage. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
