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 WebSammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2024
My idea, however, is this: Tax people as individuals rather than on their joint income, as many other countries do, and which–thanks to the long-term rise of women’s work and wages–would now benefit about half of Americans.
—Robert Verbruggen, Fortune, 15 Apr. 2024
Think in terms of your sources of income (wages, dividends, interest, capital gains, rental income, taxable withdrawals from retirement accounts, etc.).
—Jeanne Sahadi, CNN, 12 Apr. 2024
Hundreds of thousands of workers have left the country, and wages have stagnated even as commodities have grown more expensive.
—Rebecca Tan, Washington Post, 11 Apr. 2024
Over the past four years, wages of nonsupervisory workers, who account for more than 80% of private employment, are up by about 24%, while consumer prices are up less, around 20%.
—Paul Krugman, The Mercury News, 11 Apr. 2024
This has meant hardships for many lower-income families, whose wages may not have fully kept up with rising prices.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 11 Apr. 2024
Days earlier, the March jobs report showed that employers added 303,000 workers, more than expected, as wage growth stayed strong.
—Jeanna Smialek, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2024
After construction finished, the development would also have added 1,300 permanent jobs and $52 million in salaries and wages.
—Nick Rosenberger, Idaho Statesman, 10 Apr. 2024
Adam Rasgon, New York Times, 15 Apr. 2024
Israel’s war on Hamas, waged since the militant group attacked Israel on October 7, has heightened those tensions.
—Rob Picheta, CNN, 14 Apr. 2024
And so the war trudged on — thousands of miles away, but passionately waged in L.A.’s hearts and minds.
—Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2024
The time has thus come to turn a page and redirect our resources and capabilities from waging wars toward promoting development.
—Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, Foreign Affairs, 11 Apr. 2024
American troops were dispatched and campaigns were waged.
—Roger Naylor, The Arizona Republic, 11 Apr. 2024
China hasn't committed to any steps to address American concerns, arguing that its cheap solar panels and other green products are helping the world wage the costly battle against climate change.
—Christopher Rugaber, Quartz, 8 Apr. 2024
Disney has battled back against Peltz and a separate activist fight to seat new directors waged by Blackwells Capital.
—William Earl, Variety, 30 Mar. 2024
Ukraine’s army of about one million soldiers is fighting the largest war in Europe since World War II, waged in muddy trenches or the ruins of cities in urban combat.
—Andrew E. Kramer, New York Times, 3 Apr. 2024
Noun
But as of 2022, the median annual wage for a U.S. wind turbine technician working in electric power was $59,890, compared with $46,310 for all occupations nationally.
—Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2024
My idea, however, is this: Tax people as individuals rather than on their joint income, as many other countries do, and which–thanks to the long-term rise of women’s work and wages–would now benefit about half of Americans.
—Robert Verbruggen, Fortune, 15 Apr. 2024
Think in terms of your sources of income (wages, dividends, interest, capital gains, rental income, taxable withdrawals from retirement accounts, etc.).
—Jeanne Sahadi, CNN, 12 Apr. 2024
Hundreds of thousands of workers have left the country, and wages have stagnated even as commodities have grown more expensive.
—Rebecca Tan, Washington Post, 11 Apr. 2024
Over the past four years, wages of nonsupervisory workers, who account for more than 80% of private employment, are up by about 24%, while consumer prices are up less, around 20%.
—Paul Krugman, The Mercury News, 11 Apr. 2024
This has meant hardships for many lower-income families, whose wages may not have fully kept up with rising prices.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 11 Apr. 2024
Days earlier, the March jobs report showed that employers added 303,000 workers, more than expected, as wage growth stayed strong.
—Jeanna Smialek, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2024
After construction finished, the development would also have added 1,300 permanent jobs and $52 million in salaries and wages.
—Nick Rosenberger, Idaho Statesman, 10 Apr. 2024
Verb
General Gilead said that Israel’s army had enough resources to fight against Iran and continue to wage war against Hamas in Gaza.
—Adam Rasgon, New York Times, 15 Apr. 2024
Israel’s war on Hamas, waged since the militant group attacked Israel on October 7, has heightened those tensions.
—Rob Picheta, CNN, 14 Apr. 2024
And so the war trudged on — thousands of miles away, but passionately waged in L.A.’s hearts and minds.
—Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2024
The time has thus come to turn a page and redirect our resources and capabilities from waging wars toward promoting development.
—Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, Foreign Affairs, 11 Apr. 2024
American troops were dispatched and campaigns were waged.
—Roger Naylor, The Arizona Republic, 11 Apr. 2024
China hasn't committed to any steps to address American concerns, arguing that its cheap solar panels and other green products are helping the world wage the costly battle against climate change.
—Christopher Rugaber, Quartz, 8 Apr. 2024
Disney has battled back against Peltz and a separate activist fight to seat new directors waged by Blackwells Capital.
—William Earl, Variety, 30 Mar. 2024
Ukraine’s army of about one million soldiers is fighting the largest war in Europe since World War II, waged in muddy trenches or the ruins of cities in urban combat.
—Andrew E. Kramer, New York Times, 3 Apr. 2024
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 23 Apr. 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 several 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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