wage

play

noun \ ˈwāj \

Definition of wage

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 pl. but singular or plural in construction

the wages of sin is death
—Romans 6:23 (Revised Standard Version)

—

wageless

play \ˈwāj-ləs\ adjective

See wage defined for English-language learners

Examples of wage in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples of wage from the Web

On Tuesday, Ivanka Trump — outwardly a vocal proponent for wage equality — threw her weight behind a decision by her dad’s administration to end an Obama-era policy requiring businesses to report how much women and people of color are paid.

— claire landsbaum, The Cut, "White House Won’t Require Businesses to Report How Much Women and People of Color Get Paid," 30 Aug. 2017
Currently, just eight Seattleites make less than minimum wage under the city’s ordinance.

— paige gross, The Seattle Times, "Seattle’s effort to end lower pay for disabled workers: Would it help or hurt them?," 25 Aug. 2017
The drive comes as Fight for $15 sets its sights on organizing nonunionized low-wage hospital workers, including dietary aides, nurses' assistants and patient transporters.

— alexia elejalde-ruiz, chicagotribune.com, "SEIU voter engagement drive to target Rauner, other Republican politicians," 25 Aug. 2017
That requires 106 hours of minimum-wage work each week.

— alden woods, azcentral, "$200 from home: Renters in the housing crisis are often stuck between help and affordability," 17 Aug. 2017
Relief may be in sight for the thousands of low-wage hospitality workers who spend up to four hours commuting to and from Miami Beach every day.

— chabeli herrera, miamiherald, "This proposal would help Miami Beach hotel employees. It could help with parking, too," 16 Aug. 2017
There are changes being made: America, Delta, and United are all increasing hourly wages for their pilots.

— sophie weiner, Popular Mechanics, "The U.S. Is Facing a Disastrous Pilot Shortage," 28 July 2017
Labor unions have objected, because a truly low-cost product almost always means that employees earn lower wages than their counterparts at full-service flag carrier:

— barbara peterson, CNT, "Air France's New Airline, Joon, Targets Millennials," 21 July 2017
Matthew Peter, chief economist at QIC, discusses RBA monetary policy, the Australian dollar and wage growth.

— Bloomberg.com, "QIC's Peter Sees RBA on Hold Into 2018," 19 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'wage.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of wage

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

wage Synonyms

Synonyms

emolument, hire, packet [British], pay, paycheck, pay envelope, payment, salary, stipend

Other Business Terms

amortize, caveat emptor, clearinghouse, divest, due diligence, emolument, green-collar, marque, overhead, perquisite

wage

verb

Definition of wage

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.

See wage defined for English-language learners

See wage defined for kids

Examples of wage in a Sentence

They waged a guerrilla war against the government.
Local activists are waging a campaign to end homelessness in the region.

Recent Examples of wage from the Web

Now, whether or not Sheeran ever returns to Twitter, summer will eventually turn to fall, and fall to winter, and Gaga’s fans will find another way to wage war in her name.

— kenzie bryant, Vanities, "Lady Gaga Calls Off Her Twitter Army That Attacked Ed Sheeran for Basically No Reason," 5 July 2017
In the second, after touching on more sophisticated topics of belief, the imam went into the obligation to wage violent jihad.

— National Geographic, "Surviving the Fall of ISIS," 17 Oct. 2016
While their alumni, including many of America's most powerful lawyers, could wage a protracted court battle on behalf of the clubs' freedom of association, many attorneys won't want to take on the forces of political correctness.

— william stadiem, Town & Country, "Can Harvard's Storied Final Clubs Resist the Tides of Change?," 2 Aug. 2016

Origin and Etymology of wage

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

WAGE Defined for English Language Learners

wage

play

noun

Definition of wage for English Language Learners

: an amount of money that a worker is paid based on the number of hours, days, etc., that are worked

wage

verb

Definition of wage for English Language Learners

: to start and continue (a war, battle, etc.) in order to get or achieve something

WAGE Defined for Kids

wage

play

noun \ ˈwāj \

Definition of wage for Students

:payment for work done especially when figured by the hour or day

wage

verb

Definition of wage for Students

waged; waging

:to engage in :carry on

The new police chief vowed to wage a fight against crime.

Law Dictionary

wage

noun

legal Definition of wage

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

Learn More about wage

See words that rhyme with wage Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for wage Spanish Central: Translation of wage Nglish: Translation of wage for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of wage for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about wage

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up wage? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

wage

Definition of wage

wageless

From the M-W Editors

Examples of wage in a Sentence

Recent Examples of wage from the Web

Origin and Etymology of wage

wage Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Other Business Terms

wage

Definition of wage

Examples of wage in a Sentence

Recent Examples of wage from the Web

Origin and Etymology of wage

Phrases Related to WAGE

Related Phrases

WAGE Defined for English Language Learners

wage

Definition of wage for English Language Learners

wage

Definition of wage for English Language Learners

WAGE Defined for Kids

wage

Definition of wage for Students

wage

Definition of wage for Students

Law Dictionary

wage

legal Definition of wage

Learn More about wage

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

Breathing Life Into 'Inspire'

Trending: Kim Jong Un: Trump a 'Dotard'

These Are Fighting Words

Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

Words of the Year: 1066