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)
Romans 6:23 (Revised Standard Version)
waged; waging
: to engage in or carry on
wage war
wage a campaign
: to be in process of occurring
the riot waged for several hours—Amer. Guide Series: Md.
Amer. Guide Series: Md.Synonyms
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 WebJay Weaver, Miami Herald, 12 June 2024
Average hourly wages surged 4.1% over the year ending in May, the report found.
—Max Zahn, ABC News, 12 June 2024
Rayna Reid Rayford, Essence, 4 June 2024
Ethan Weaver, who waged an unsuccessful campaign against Councilmember Nithya Raman in her Silver Lake-to-Reseda district.
—Dakota Smith, Los Angeles Times, 1 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for wage 
Noun
The loans under this and other pandemic programs were forgiven by the SBA as long as they were used for legitimate purposes, such as employee wages, leases and utility costs.
—Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 12 June 2024
Average hourly wages surged 4.1% over the year ending in May, the report found.
—Max Zahn, ABC News, 12 June 2024
Verb
The court’s decision marks the latest victory in the war the GOP is waging against DEI and diversity programs.
—Rayna Reid Rayford, Essence, 4 June 2024
Ethan Weaver, who waged an unsuccessful campaign against Councilmember Nithya Raman in her Silver Lake-to-Reseda district.
—Dakota Smith, Los Angeles Times, 1 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for wage
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wage.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near wage
Cite this Entry
“Wage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wage. Accessed 19 Jun. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
wage
1 of 2 verb
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 noun1
: 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
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