wage

noun

\ ˈwāj

Definition of wage

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : 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)

wage

verb

waged; waging

Definition of wage (Entry 2 of 2)

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.

Other Words from wage Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about wage

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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

That costs a minimum-wage employee 83 hours of labor (more than two 40-hour weeks). — Deroy Murdock, National Review, "If Taxpayer-Funded Abortion Is a Right, Let’s Have Guns for All," 14 June 2019 The goal will be to boost the benefit to 90% of most wages, up from the current maximum of 70%. — Laurel Rosenhall, The Mercury News, "California just passed a $215 billion budget. Here’s what’s between the lines.," 14 June 2019 But many restaurants are struggling even as their takeout orders grow, hindered by soaring rents in high-demand cities and new minimum-wage laws for employees. — Laura Forman, WSJ, "Some Restaurants Get Served in Delivery Boom," 13 June 2019 Every major non-minimum-wage city has thousands of actual $12/hr workers who will benefit from a $15/hr minimum. — Letter Writers, Twin Cities, "Letters: Mayor’s column on trash collection could have been shorter," 13 June 2019 Regular phone and internet users remain vulnerable, forced to take individual protective measures, like a poor wage-worker without health insurance who’s told to secure her nest egg by cutting out morning lattes. — Matthew Gault, The New Republic, "The U.S. Government Is Utterly Inept at Keeping Your Data Secure," 12 June 2019 But the creeping cost of housing is pinching a middle class already struggling with flat wages, rising child care costs, and the skyrocketing price tag of a four-year college degree. — Patrick Sisson, Curbed, "Hey, middle class, the housing crisis is coming for you next," 11 June 2019 McMillon said after outlining changes in benefits that Walmart has made in recent years including higher wages, parental leave and health insurance that starts at $28 per pay period. — Maria Halkias, Dallas News, "Walmart CEO asks Congress to raise minimum wage; Bernie Sanders pushes for more from nation's biggest employer," 5 June 2019 Many career moms manage their stressful work-life balance thanks only to low-wage immigrant labor to take care of their children, clean their houses and deliver their takeout. — Tanika Davis, baltimoresun.com, "Have a seat, Guilt: Why this working mom is OK with running late," 15 May 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Michael had represented the area on theAdvisory Neighborhood Commission and helped wage a successful fight to get a recreation center reopened. — Courtland Milloy, Washington Post, "This D.C. woman has shown compassion to many, including her son’s killer. Now she could use a little compassion herself.," 22 May 2018 After passing the German parliament last year, the most crucial stipulation of an act to promote wage fairness among genders (Act to Promote Transparency of Pay Structures) is coming into effect on Saturday. — Hardy Graupner, USA TODAY, "Want to know what your peers get paid? Some German bosses will have to tell you," 5 Jan. 2018 Players pick a team, build an army, and wage war across a sci-fi landscape. — Joshua Sokol, The Atlantic, "AI Keeps Mastering Games, But Can It Win in the Real World?," 27 Feb. 2018 The leader of the chamber's Democrats fired back, demanding that McConnell apologize to Ford for his assertion that Democrats are using the allegations to wage a smear campaign against the nominee. — Andrew O'reilly, Fox News, "Trump echoes Limbaugh warning to GOP to approve Kavanaugh or face midterm fury," 25 Sep. 2018 The officials said Russia continues to wage a campaign to disrupt American democracy ahead of the 2018 midterms, though those operations are not yet on the scale seen in the 2016 election. — Jen Kirby, Vox, "Top officials are warning of Russian hacking. Trump hasn’t joined them.," 3 Aug. 2018 Chinese, North Korean and Russian leaders realized that cyber tools allowed them to wage asymmetrical attacks. — Mara Hvistendahl, WSJ, "‘Dawn of the Code War’ Review: The Cyber Threat Reconsidered," 3 Dec. 2018 The quagmire has deepened of late, with the Taliban continuing to wage attacks on Afghan and allied troops. — Jen Kirby, Vox, "Trump will reportedly remove 7,000 troops from Afghanistan," 21 Dec. 2018 Though severely weakened, Islamic State continues to wage an insurgency from remote hide-outs in Iraq, complicating efforts to reach and excavate some graves. — Isabel Coles, WSJ, "Syria Unearths ISIS Mass Graves Near Iraqi Border," 13 Dec. 2018

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.