wage

noun \ ˈwāj \

|Updated on: 15 Aug 2018

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

Rising family incomes, higher wages, lower jobs, higher equality of life.

— rick pearson, chicagotribune.com, "Rauner embraces Trump White House in Rosemont, calls Pence among the 'greatest leaders in American history'," 13 July 2018
When West Virginia teachers go on strike demanding fair wages, coal miners are laid off, when kids see violence and abuse erupt around them, people begin to live in fear.

— clay marsh, STAT, "Facing deaths of despair from the depths of despair in West Virginia," 12 July 2018
Though the headline rate was 2 percent in the year to June, the core rate, which strips out volatile items such as food and energy, is only 1 percent, a clear signal that underlying inflationary pressures through such things as wages, remain muted.

— Washington Post, "Trade war fears a clear concern of European bank officials," 12 July 2018
The promotion will feature all the things that have become synonymous with life as a millennial: stagnant wages, a rising cost of living and crushing debt.

— dan gartland, SI.com, "Montgomery Biscuits Plan ‘Millennial Night’ With Avocados and Selfies," 12 July 2018
Given that higher levels of education often equals higher wages, millennials who make more money, and would otherwise be able to buy a home, have instead moved to markets where rents and home prices are sky high.

— jeff andrews, Curbed, "Why aren’t millennials buying houses?," 11 July 2018
Hourly wages, adjusted for inflation, have been mired at about 80% of their level in 1960.

— michael hiltzik, latimes.com, "Employers will do almost anything to find workers to fill jobs — except pay them more," 10 July 2018
Low wages overseas and the use of the basic oxygen process made foreign steel cheaper than American steel by the 1950s, just as the steel industry took a hit from a cheaper alloy for home goods: aluminum.

— jonathan schifman, Popular Mechanics, "The Entire History of Steel," 9 July 2018
Nowhere in Connecticut can someone making the average wage among renters — $17.38 an hour — afford a two-bedroom apartment at fair market rent, according to a report published last week by the National Low Income Housing Coalition.

— matthew ormseth, courant.com, "Report Reveals What Renters Already Know: It's Hard To Find An Affordable Apartment In Connecticut," 20 June 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.