wage

[weyj]

noun

1. Often wages. money that is paid or received for work or services, as by the hour, day, or week.

   Synonyms: remuneration, compensation, emolument, earnings

2. Economics.,  Usually wages. the share of the products of industry received by labor for its work (as distinct from the share going to capital).

3. (used with a singular or plural verb),  Usually wages. recompense or return.

   The wages of sin is death.

4. Obsolete.,  a pledge or security.

verb (used with object)

waged, waging 

1. to carry on (a battle, war, conflict, argument, etc.).

   to wage war against a nation.

   Synonyms: prosecute, undertake

2. Chiefly British Dialect.,  to hire.

3. Obsolete.

   1. to stake or wager.

   2. to pledge.

verb (used without object)

waged, waging 

1. Obsolete.,  to contend; struggle.

wage

/ weɪdʒ /

noun

1. 1. (often plural) payment in return for work or services, esp that made to workmen on a daily, hourly, weekly, or piece-work basis Compare salary

   2. ( as modifier )

      wage freeze

2. (plural) economics the portion of the national income accruing to labour as earned income, as contrasted with the unearned income accruing to capital in the form of rent, interest, and dividends

3. (often plural) recompense, return, or yield

4. an obsolete word for pledge

verb

1. to engage in

2. obsolete,  to pledge or wager

3. archaic,  another word for hire hire

Other Word Forms

• wageless adjective
• wagelessness noun
• underwage noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of wage¹

First recorded in 1275–1325; (noun) Middle English: “pledge, security,” from Anglo-French; Old French guage gage ¹, from unattested Vulgar Latin wadium, from Germanic ( wed ); (verb) Middle English wagen “to pledge,” from Anglo-French wagier; Old French guagier, from unattested Vulgar Latin wadiāre, derivative of wadium

Word History and Origins

Origin of wage¹

C14: from Old Northern French wagier to pledge, from wage, of Germanic origin; compare Old English weddian to pledge, _wed

Synonym Study

See pay ¹.

Example Sentences

But revenue from payroll taxes rose only 1%, which suggests slower job and wage growth among people who make less than the $176,100 Social Security tax limit.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

In Israel the families of hostages and their supporters have been waging a constant campaign of pressure and demonstrations to get their people out of Gaza.

Read more on BBC

Improved productivity, economists say, would help firms offset higher input costs and lead to an increase in inflation-adjusted wages.

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Bank of America parses its customers’ bank and credit card accounts to see who is receiving wages or unemployment benefits to gauge the state of the labor market.

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Inflation ate into Americans’ wage gains last year, leaving household incomes little changed beyond the richest households, the Census Bureau said Tuesday.

Read more on Wall Street Journal