minimum wage
noun
the lowest wage payable to employees in general or to designated employees as fixed by law or by union agreement.
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minimum wage
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minimum-wage
minimum-wageadjectiveof or relating to a minimum wage.
minimum wage
1 Americannoun
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minimum wages
plural
minimum-wage
2
American
[min-uh-muhm-weyj]
/ ˈmɪn ə məmˈweɪdʒ /
adjective
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of or relating to a minimum wage.
minimum-wage demands.
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paid or earning a minimum wage.
a minimum-wage worker.
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paying a minimum wage.
a minimum-wage job.
minimum wage
British
noun
minimum wage
Cultural
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.
See Examples For:
In their vote, City Council members also ordered a report with a framework on how to implement a mandatory six-hour paid training to educate workers on minimum wage laws and other labor protections.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
One reason is that its high minimum wage has raised costs for employers, which in turn are cutting back on unskilled labor.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
Petersen said that Raman’s “unwavering” support of the minimum wage increase for hotel and airport workers, along with her opposition to the vacation rental expansion, were key to her receiving the union’s endorsement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026
Businesses have said employer national insurance and minimum wage hikes have made hiring more expensive, particularly for junior staff.
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
The Duke vigil ended a few days later when Wright Tisdale, chair of the Duke trustees, announced that a minimum wage of $1.60 for nonacademic staff would be phased in over the next several months.
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
Missouri and Arkansas voters have approved five minimum-wage ballot measures in the past 20 years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026
And teens are competing with older workers for similar jobs: People aged 25 and over accounted for 56.9% of minimum-wage workers in 2024.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 19, 2026
She was facing a demand to repay £37,000 while supporting herself through her studies in a minimum-wage job.
From BBC ● Apr. 8, 2026
Among their supporters are renters, immigrants, young adults, the underserved, and the frontline workers in the minimum-wage economy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 7, 2026
“I don’t need help from nobody, okay? And that li’l minimum-wage job your pops gave me didn’t make nothing happen. I got tired of choosing between lights and food.”
From "The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas
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.
