wage
- Often wages. money that is paid or received for work or services, as by the hour, day, or week.Compare living wage, minimum wage.
- Usually wages. Economics. the share of the products of industry received by labor for its work (as distinct from the share going to capital).
- Usually wages. (used with a singular or plural verb) recompense or return: The wages of sin is death.
- Obsolete. a pledge or security.
- to carry on (a battle, war, conflict, argument, etc.): to wage war against a nation.
- Chiefly British Dialect. to hire.
- Obsolete.
- to stake or wager.
- to pledge.
- Obsolete. to contend; struggle.
Origin of wage
Synonyms
See more synonyms for wage on Thesaurus.comExamples from the Web for waged
Contemporary Examples
For three decades, ‘Puck’ waged war on all things holy—politicians, social mores, and the news.
Indeed, the Emiratis waged a secret bombing campaign in Libya, flying out of air bases in Egypt.
Obama’s Arab Backers May Draw the U.S. Deep Into the Mideast QuagmireJamie Dettmer
September 25, 2014
Israelis have also waged a psy-war on Hamas, albeit more informal and spontaneous.
In late 2008 and 2009, Israel waged a three-week invasion of Gaza, in which 13 Israelis and more than 1,400 Gazans died.
On the street is, in fact, is where Linton waged his most public act of war on Uber.
Historical Examples
And the battles which wreck ministers are waged round his name.
The Three Cities Trilogy, CompleteEmile Zola
He waged war against astrology, alchemy, witchcraft, and like impostures.
Self-HelpSamuel Smiles
The battle of Kara-Urgan, furthermore, was waged in a continual snowstorm.
He knew what wars had been waged, what epidemics were raging, what Governments had risen and fallen.
The ChristianHall Caine
Be assured of one thing,—the Battle of Life is waged by all.
Davenport Dunn, Volume 1 (of 2)Charles James Lever
wage
- (often plural)payment in return for work or services, esp that made to workmen on a daily, hourly, weekly, or piece-work basisCompare salary
- (as modifier)wage freeze
- (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
- (often plural) recompense, return, or yield
- an obsolete word for pledge
- to engage in
- obsolete to pledge or wager
- archaic another word for hire (def. 1), hire (def. 2)
Word Origin
Word Origin and History for waged
wage
v.
early 14c., "to pledge, deposit as a pledge," from Old North French wagier (Old French gagier), from wage (see wage (n.)). Meaning "to carry on" (of war, etc.) is attested from mid-15c., probably from earlier sense of "to offer as a gage of battle" (early 15c.). Related: Waged; waging.
wage
n.
c.1300, "a payment for services rendered," also in Middle English "a pledge of security" (mid-14c.), from Old North French wage (Old French guage) "pledge," from Frankish *wadja- (cf. Old English wedd, Gothic wadi "pledge"); see wed. Modern French cognate gages (plural) means "wages of a domestic," one of a plethora of French words for different classes, e.g. traitement (university professor), paye, salaire (workman), solde (soldier), récompense, prix. The Old English word was lean, related to loan and representing the usual Germanic form (cf. Gothic laun, Dutch loon, German lohn).