minimum wage

noun

1

: living wage

2

: the lowest wage paid or permitted to be paid

specifically : a wage fixed by legal authority or by contract as the least that may be paid either to employed persons generally or to a particular category of employed persons

Examples of minimum wage in a Sentence

Congress will vote on a bill to raise the minimum wage.

Recent Examples on the Web

Some economists argue that pursuing a taxation exemption will take the focus off more broad measures of helping low-wage earners, including the expansion of certain tax credits for low-income workers, elimination of the subminimum wage of $2.13 and raising of the $7.25 minimum wage. —Matthew Glowicki, USA TODAY, 23 Dec. 2024

However, for the fast food industry in the Golden State, the minimum wage is $20 per hour, the highest in the United States. —Rohit Arora, Forbes, 21 Dec. 2024

Giant identification dips started back in 2010 and have continued to crater, as voters watched the traditional party of poor and working class Americans fail to deliver on basic policies like raising the minimum wage, while embracing free trade rather than protecting jobs at home. —Pramila Jayapal, Newsweek, 19 Dec. 2024

Almost two dozen states around the nation are hiking their minimum wages next year. —Cailey Gleeson, Journal Sentinel, 18 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1860, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

minimum wage

noun

: a wage fixed (as by law) as the least that may be paid to employed persons

Legal Definition

minimum wage

noun

: a wage fixed by contract or especially by law as the least that may be paid either to employees generally or to a particular category of employees compare scale