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

In other words, this is a bad time for another minimum wage hike. —Matt Fleming, Orange County Register, 8 Mar. 2025

Leftfield workers are likewise looking to negotiate minimum wage rates, raises and changes to their health insurance plans, while also seeking contract language around staffers getting rehired season to season. —Katie Kilkenny, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Mar. 2025

Another suit alleged Scale paid workers below minimum wage and misclassified them as contractors and not employees with benefits and overtime pay. —Richard Nieva, Forbes, 6 Mar. 2025

Instead of $50 per day, all jurors would earn the hourly minimum wage equal to an eight-hour day (about $130 daily). —Jenna Carlesso, Hartford Courant, 4 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1860, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for minimum wage

• alienage
• age
• gauge
• phage
• plage
• rage
• stage
• assuage
• backstage
• bocage
• downstage
• engage

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