wage

American  

[weyj] / weɪdʒ /

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.

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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 British  

/ 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

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verb

1. to engage in

2. obsolete to pledge or wager

3. archaic another word for hire hire

Related Words

See pay ¹.

Other Word Forms

• underwage noun
• wageless adjective
• wagelessness noun

Etymology

Origin of wage

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 ( see wed); (verb) Middle English wagen “to pledge,” from Anglo-French wagier; Old French guagier, from unattested Vulgar Latin wadiāre, derivative of wadium

Explanation

If your job pays a good wage, it means that you earn a lot of money for the hard work you do. If you're not happy with your wage, you might have to wage war on your boss. Wage is one of those words whose verb and noun forms have entirely different meanings. A worker's wage is how much money she makes. But when you wage something, you carry it out: for example, a warmonger is someone whose primary goal is to wage wars. The word is of Germanic origin, and it's related to both gage and wed, with their underlying meanings of "to pledge."

Example Sentences

Brave paid £105,000 to retain her for 2026, a remarkable rise from her £12,500 wage in last year's competition.

From BBC • Apr. 28, 2026

Businesses expected to raise their prices at a faster rate than they did prior to the Middle East conflict, though wage increases were seen slowing.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 28, 2026

Given his performances this season, it would be remarkable if United do not come up with a huge new deal, even if co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe is trying to drive down wage costs.

From BBC • Apr. 24, 2026

Wages for this draft class are far from NFL records, as the league introduced a rookie wage scale in 2011 to keep salaries for its youngest players lower.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 23, 2026

And the foot soldiers earned just $3-30 an hour, less than the minimum wage.

From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt