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  • minimum wage
    minimum wage
    noun
    the lowest wage payable to employees in general or to designated employees as fixed by law or by union agreement.
  • minimum-wage
    minimum-wage
    adjective
    of or relating to a minimum wage.
Synonyms

minimum wage

1 American  

noun

minimum wages plural
  1. the lowest wage payable to employees in general or to designated employees as fixed by law or by union agreement.


minimum-wage 2 American  
[min-uh-muhm-weyj] / ˈmɪn ə məmˈweɪdʒ /

adjective

  1. of or relating to a minimum wage.

    minimum-wage demands.

  2. paid or earning a minimum wage.

    a minimum-wage worker.

  3. paying a minimum wage.

    a minimum-wage job.


minimum wage British  

noun

  1. the lowest wage that an employer is permitted to pay by law or union contract

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

minimum wage Cultural  
  1. The lowest legal hourly wage.


Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of minimum wage

First recorded in 1855–60

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.

Firms who are already facing higher staff costs as a result of increased employer National Insurance contributions and minimum wage hikes are then under pressure to put up their own prices.

From BBC • Jun. 17, 2026

Enrollees are paid the highest of the state, federal or local minimum wage and work an average of 20 hours per week.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 9, 2026

When business leaders were frustrated over the passage of a $30-per-hour minimum wage for hotel workers, Bass brokered a meeting with them and Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson, he said in December.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 4, 2026

He has also promised to build on Petro's legacy of increasing the minimum wage, raising education spending and transferring land to poor communities.

From Barron's • Jun. 1, 2026

This seems to be no longer true, for government agencies channel only as many laborers as are needed, and some kind of minimum wage is maintained.

From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck

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