wage Hear it!

wage definition

wage (wāj)

transitive verb waged, waging wag′·ing

  1. to engage in or carry on (a war, struggle, campaign, etc.)
  2. Chiefly Brit., Dialectal to hire

Etymology: ME wagen < NormFr wagier (OFr gagier) < wage (OFr gage), a stake, pledge < Frank *wadi, akin to Goth wadi, a pledge: for IE base see wed

noun

  1. money paid to an employee for work done, and usually figured on an hourly, daily, or piecework basis
  2. what is given in return; recompense; requital: formerly the plural form was often construed as singular “The wages of sin is death”
  3. Econ. the share of the total product of industry that goes to labor, as distinguished from the share taken by capital

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:

business wage definition - business

law wage definition - legal

wage Synonyms

wage

n.

wages, pay, stipend, fee, salary, earnings, payment, emolument; see also pay 2.

wage (also often ?wages) applies to money paid an employee at relatively short intervals, often daily, or weekly, esp. for manual or physical labor; salary applies to fixed compensation usually paid at longer intervals, often monthly or semimonthly, esp. to clerical or professional workers; stipend is a somewhat lofty substitute for salary, or it is applied to a pension or similar fixed payment; fee applies to the payment requested or given for professional services, as of a doctor, lawyer, artist, etc.; pay is a general term equivalent to any of the preceding, but it is specifically used of compensation to members of the armed forces; emolument is an elevated substitute for salary or ?wages and may refer to additional benefits and perquisites


wage

v.

conduct, make, carry on, engage in, prosecute, pursue.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

wage Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • earn: You will learn valuable skills for the trade of your choice whilst earning a wage.

Adjective modifier

  • minimum: The minimum wage had minimal impact on the pay of UNISON members.

Modifies a noun

  • earner: Henry's death hit his parents hard as he was the only wage earner in the family.

Noun used with modifier

  • worker's: It also means debating the issue of an elected representative on a worker's wage.

Possessives

  • laborer: A laborer's wages 0 0 10 " A master mason or tyler 0 1 2 " 1617.

Preposition: in

  • lieu: The contract also said that his employers could pay him wages in lieu of notice.

Preposition: of

  • sin: The wages of sin is always death - sooner or later.
wage usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

wage quotes

   We wage no war with women nor with priests.

-Southey, Robert

One man's wage rise is another man's price increase.

-Wilson of Rievaulx, (James) Harold Wilson, Baron

wage quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Link to this page:

Cite this page:

MLA Style

"wage." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 4 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/wage>

APA Style

wage. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 4th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/wage

Comments:

Please or Register to post a comment