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Synonyms

wage earner

American  

noun

  1. a person who works for wages, especially a laborer.

wage earner British  

noun

  1. a person who works for wages, esp as distinguished from one paid a salary

  2. the person who earns money to support a household by working

"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

Etymology

Origin of wage earner

First recorded in 1880–85

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.

“The lower-end wage earner has definitely been struggling for a while,” Wells Fargo finance chief Michael Santomassimo said last week.

From Barron's • Nov. 14, 2025

One more thing to consider: Since you’re the higher wage earner, it’s important for you to maximize your own benefit because it’s the one that determines how much the survivor will get.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2025

Mounzer was the father of four young children, and was the only wage earner in his family, also looking after his ailing father and brother.

From BBC • Dec. 29, 2024

"It's tough to lift the heavy materials, especially when there's pollution as I cough a lot when smoke gets in my lungs and my eyes burn," said the sole wage earner in his family.

From Reuters • Nov. 13, 2023

Many of them get by by teaming up with another wage earner, a spouse or grown child.

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.