base pay
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of base pay
First recorded in 1915–20
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
For salaried workers who already exceed 40 hours a week but were declared exempt from overtime receipt, employers could agree to stop asking for overtime exemptions in exchange for lower base pay.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 4, 2026
Hospital-based roles, for example, often come with overtime, bonuses and higher pay for night or weekend shifts that can push total earnings well above base pay.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 28, 2026
Affected staff will receive 16 weeks of base pay plus two weeks per year of service.
From Barron's ● Apr. 23, 2026
Some agencies’ advertisements say surrogates can expect six figure-payouts—without disclosing that base pay is much lower, and that higher payments usually only take place in the event of major medical complications.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 28, 2025
Between the base pay of $2.15 an hour and the obligation to share tips with the busboys and dishwashers, we’re averaging only about $7.50 an hour.
From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
