wage

1 of 2

noun

ˈwāj 

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)

wageless

ˈwāj-ləs 

adjective

wage

2 of 2

verb

waged; waging

transitive verb

: to engage in or carry on

wage war

wage a campaign

intransitive verb

: to be in process of occurring

the riot waged for several hours

—Amer. Guide Series: Md.

Synonyms

Noun

• emolument
• hire
• packet [British]
• pay
• paycheck
• pay envelope
• payment
• salary
• stipend

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 Web

Noun

Higher wage bills The government also announced that the national living wage would increase by 6.7% from April 2025 to £12.21 per hour. —Marc Shoffman, theweek, 6 Nov. 2024

Fifty nine percent of the members of the International Association of Machinists District 751 voted to accept Boeing’s latest offer of a 38 percent wage increase along with other concessions, and return to work. —Jerrold Lundquist, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024

Verb

Tax treatment discourages usage as a medium of exchange, the SEC has waged a near constant campaign against the industry, and the lack of Treasury guidance continues to stifle further integration within TradFi institutions. —Sean Stein Smith, Forbes, 3 Nov. 2024

Almost 25 years after Russell Crowe waged war on the Roman Empire — and won an Oscar for his trouble — in Gladiator, the actor is once again set to stir the warrior within for The Last Druid. —Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 31 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, pledge, recompense, from Anglo-French wage, gage, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German wetti pledge — more at wed

Verb

Middle English, to offer surety, put up as a stake, hire, from Anglo-French *wager, gager, from wage

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Phrases Containing wage

• fair wage
• honest wage
• living wage
• minimum wage
• wage earner
• wage scale
• wage slave
• wage slavery

Kids Definition

wage

1 of 2 verb

ˈwāj 

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 noun

1

: 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

Legal Definition

wage

noun

1

: a payment usually of money for labor or services usually according to a contract and on an hourly, daily, or piecework basis

—often used in pl.

2

plural : the share of the national product attributable to labor as a factor in production