pay grade

[ pey-greyd ]

/ ˈpeɪ ˌgreɪd /

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noun

the grade of a member of the armed services established according to a scale of increasing amounts of base pay and related to but not identical with official rank:A soldier in my pay grade had very little money.

a grade on any pay or salary scale: Advancement to a higher pay grade will depend on your job performance.

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ARE YOU A TRUE BLUE CHAMPION OF THESE "BLUE" SYNONYMS?

We could talk until we're blue in the face about this quiz on words for the color "blue," but we think you should take the quiz and find out if you're a whiz at these colorful terms.

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Which of the following words describes “sky blue”?

navy

beryl

azure

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Idioms about pay grade

be above / be beyond one's pay grade, to be above one’s level of ability, skill, knowledge, or authority: To be honest, that subject is way above my pay grade.It’s beyond this court’s pay grade to alter the doctrine.

Origin of pay grade

First recorded in 1880–85; originally a term in the U.S. armed forces

Words nearby pay grade

PAYE, payee, pay envelope, payer, pay for, pay grade, pay-in, paying guest, payload, payload assist module, payloader

How to use pay grade in a sentence

With this sort of terrain, it’s easy to get in over your head and find yourself paddling a section of river that’s above your pay grade or clinging to a route that you have no business trying to climb.
The Ultimate New River Gorge National Park Travel Guide|awise|July 19, 2021|Outside Online
The issue was that as a manager, Mayorkas was not just setting broad policy objectives, but instead involving himself in matters well below his pay grade.
Cotton’s claim that Mayorkas was ‘guilty of selling green cards to Chinese nationals’|Glenn Kessler|December 11, 2020|Washington Post
The pale, baby-faced, red-cheeked rapper is furiously puffing away at a hastily-made blunt crammed with low-grade weed.
The Cult of Yung Lean: ‘I’m Building An Anarchistic Society From the Ground Up’|Marlow Stern|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
I was declared innocent, and they said I should pay $104,000.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile|Robert Ward|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST

The escort site Cowboys4Angels peddles chiseled, hot-bodied men and their smoldering model looks to women willing to pay.
Career-Minded Women Turn to Male Escorts For No-Strings Fun and (Maybe) Sex|Aurora Snow|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
One that they cannot cash in at the bank to pay for their flats.
One Vogue Cover Doesn’t Solve Fashion’s Big Race Problem|Danielle Belton|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
That could include private financial or personal information—like the credit-card numbers you used to pay for the corrupted Wi-Fi.
How ‘Ethical’ Hotel Chain Marriott Gouges Guests in the Name of Wi-Fi Security|Kyle Chayka|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Now, on my first day here, you pay me back for what I did then—as if it needed paying back!
Rosemary in Search of a Father|C. N. Williamson
“We shall make Mr. Pickwick pay for peeping,” said Fogg, with considerable native humour, as he unfolded his papers.
The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, v. 2(of 2)|Charles Dickens
Condillac after the marquis's death had refused to pay tithes to Mother Church and has flouted and insulted the Bishop.
St. Martin's Summer|Rafael Sabatini
Of course, newly acquired Ferns will pay for extra attention in the way of watering until they have secured a proper roothold.
How to Know the Ferns|S. Leonard Bastin
In these enlightened days no man is imprisoned for owing money, but only because he does not pay it when told to do so.
Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham|Thomas T. Harman and Walter Showell