wage

1 of 2

noun

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 deathRomans 6:23 (Revised Standard Version)
wageless 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 hoursAmer. Guide Series: Md.

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
The deals generally follow the pattern set by the TV/Theatrical agreement in other respects, with 7% increases in scale wages retroactive to July 1, followed by increases of 4% and 3.5% in the subsequent years of the contract. Gene Maddaus, Variety, 23 Mar. 2024 Staff have a starting wage of $25 an hour and have paid vacation and sick leave. Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 23 Mar. 2024 Roughly 60% of laborers work in the informal sector, unable to earn a stable wage. Alfredo Sosa, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 Mar. 2024 The living wage for a childless adult in Jackson County is $16.68 per hour. Natalie Wallington, Kansas City Star, 22 Mar. 2024 Since then, Congress hasn’t mustered the votes for a further increase while the wage has been devastated by inflation. Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2024 The rise in wages signals that companies and workers expect higher prices to stick around, Mr. van Rijn said. Joe Rennison, New York Times, 19 Mar. 2024 Yet in other industries – like retail and professional services - quitting has dipped below pre-COVID levels as wage hikes have moderated in a sign of a cooling job market and economic uncertainty. Paul Davidson, USA TODAY, 18 Mar. 2024 Before the Bell: Employment data for February came in hotter than expected, but there was some weakness in wage growth and December and January numbers were both revised lower. Nicole Goodkind, CNN, 11 Mar. 2024
Verb
With the Iraq war raging in 2004, Mr. Haidt, a registered Democrat, took his dog on evening walks around Charlottesville and thought about why his party was waging such a tepid campaign against George W. Bush. Emma Goldberg, New York Times, 23 Mar. 2024 Related Articles Letters: Remake education | College elitism | Follow Oregon | ‘Barbie’ at Oscars | Biden’s speech | Everyday acts Benjamin Netanyahu is waging a profligate, reckless war to keep himself in power. Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 22 Mar. 2024 The narrative is set in the years shortly after WWII, at a time when The Netherlands was waging a new war and trying to recapture Indonesia, its former colony previously known as the Dutch East Indies. Patrick Frater, Variety, 21 Mar. 2024 Horne, a Republican and staunch supporter of English-only immersion programs, has been waging a battle against dual language programs since he was elected to lead the Arizona Department of Education in 2022. Daniel Gonzalez, The Arizona Republic, 20 Mar. 2024 Dana Taylor: How are women in leadership roles changing the way the climate justice battle is being waged? Dana Taylor, USA TODAY, 17 Mar. 2024 The American duo waged a pulsating third round battle at the PGA Tour’s flagship tournament on Saturday, and had looked on course to head into the final round level at the top before reigning US Open champion Clark chunked his first swing at the penultimate 123-yard par-three hole. Jack Bantock, CNN, 16 Mar. 2024 In a presentation posted to the shareholder campaign website Vote Disney, the House of Mouse included highlights of its success with franchises as the company is waging a proxy fight with activist investor Nelson Peltz. Kevin Dolak, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Mar. 2024 His classic book, Winning Ugly, is a field manual for waging mental warfare on the court. Abby Aguirre, Vogue, 6 Mar. 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.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of wage was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near wage

Cite this Entry

“Wage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wage. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids 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 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

More from Merriam-Webster on wage

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