wage

1 of 2

noun

ˈwāj 

1

a

: a payment usually of money for labor or services usually according to contract and on an hourly, daily, or piecework basis

—often used in plural

b

wages plural : the share of the national product attributable to labor as a factor in production

2

: recompense, reward

—usually used in plural but singular or plural in construction

the wages of sin is death

—Romans 6:23 (Revised Standard Version)

wageless

ˈwāj-ləs 

adjective

wage

2 of 2

verb

waged; waging

transitive verb

: to engage in or carry on

wage war

wage a campaign

intransitive verb

: to be in process of occurring

the riot waged for several hours

—Amer. Guide Series: Md.

Synonyms

Noun

• salary

Examples of wage in a Sentence

Noun

Both of them make decent wages.

The table and chairs cost two weeks' wages.

The company offers competitive wages and good benefits.

The company gave workers a four percent wage increase this year.

Verb

They waged a guerrilla war against the government.

Local activists are waging a campaign to end homelessness in the region.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Farrell adds that for mothers of color, the wage gap is even wider, as Black women earn just 64 cents on the dollar and Latina women earn 54 cents (compared to white men). —Sarah Bregel, Parents, 28 Oct. 2025

My salary would be Rs 45,000 a month, three times the average wage for a qualified individual in regular employment in India. —Snigdha Poonam, The Dial, 28 Oct. 2025

Verb

Otherwise, against this strong Dodgers pitching staff, the Jays have to wage war on short at-bats and get to the bullpen as soon as possible. —Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 26 Oct. 2025

The Republican had long resisted slapping Moscow with sanctions designed to hinder Russia's ability to wage war in Ukraine. —Ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, pledge, recompense, from Anglo-French wage, gage, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German wetti pledge — more at wed

Verb

Middle English, to offer surety, put up as a stake, hire, from Anglo-French *wager, gager, from wage

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Phrases Containing wage

• fair wage
• honest wage
• living wage
• minimum wage
• wage earner
• wage scale
• wage slave
• wage slavery

Rhymes for wage

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

Kids Definition

wage

1 of 2 verb

ˈwāj 

waged; waging

1

: to engage in or carry on

wage war

wage a campaign

2

: to be in the process of occurring

the battle waged for hours

wage

2 of 2 noun

1

: a payment for work or services usually calculated on an hourly, daily, or piecework basis

—often used in plural

2

singular or plural : something given or received because of one's actions : reward

Legal Definition

wage

noun

1

: a payment usually of money for labor or services usually according to a contract and on an hourly, daily, or piecework basis

—often used in pl.

2

plural : the share of the national product attributable to labor as a factor in production