What does "wage" mean?
An amount of money paid to a worker for a specified quantity of work, usually calculated on an hourly basis and expressed in an amount of money per hour.
Wage
/weɪd͡ʒ/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An amount of money paid to a worker for a specified quantity of work, usually calculated on an hourly basis and expressed in an amount of money per hour.
- Grammar: wage is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: earnings, pay, remuneration, salary.
- Useful contrasts: abandon, cease, honoraria.
- Usage evidence: The union was modest in its wage demands.
How to use "wage"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "wage" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "wage" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "wage" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "wage" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "wage" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "earnings" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "wage", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An amount of money paid to a worker for a specified quantity of work, usually calculated on an hourly basis and expressed in an amount of money per hour. often, plural
"Before her promotion, her wages were 20% less."
- 2 something that remunerates wordnet
Verb
- 1 To wager, bet. obsolete, transitive
"My life I never held but as a pawn / To wage against thine enemies"
- 2 carry on (wars, battles, or campaigns) wordnet
- 3 To expose oneself to, as a risk; to incur, as a danger; to venture; to hazard. obsolete, transitive
"I fear the power of Percy is too weak / To wage an instant trial with the King."
- 4 To employ for wages; to hire. obsolete, transitive
"Thenne said Arthur I wille goo with yow / Nay said the kynges ye shalle not at this tyme / for ye haue moche to doo yet in these landes / therfore we wille departe / and with the grete goodes that we haue goten in these landes by youre yeftes we shalle wage good knyghtes & withstande the kynge Claudas malyce"
- 5 To conduct or carry out (a war or other contest). transitive
"pond'ring which of all his Sons was fit / To Reign, and wage immortal War with Wit"
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 To adventure, or lay out, for hire or reward; to hire out. transitive
"Thou that doest liue in later times, must wage / Thy workes for wealth, and life for gold engage."
- 7 To give security for the performance of. UK, obsolete
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"The union was modest in its wage demands."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "wage"?
Common synonyms include: earnings, pay, remuneration, salary, base pay, carry on.
How do you use "wage" in a sentence?
The union was modest in its wage demands.
How do you pronounce "wage"?
Pronounced /weɪd͡ʒ/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English wage, from Anglo-Norman wage, from Old Northern French wage, a northern variant of Old French gauge, guage (whence modern French gage), Medieval Latin wadium, from Frankish *waddī (cognate with Old English wedd), from Proto-Germanic *wadją (“pledge”), from Proto-Indo-European *wedʰ- (“to pledge, redeem a pledge”). Akin to Old Norse veðja (“to pledge”), Gothic 𐍅𐌰𐌳𐌹 (wadi), Dutch wedde. Compare also the doublet gage. More at wed.
Etymology 2
From Middle English wagen (“to pledge”), from Anglo-Norman, Old Northern French wagier, a northern variant of Old French guagier (whence modern French gager), itself either from guage or from a derivative of Frankish *waddī, possibly through a Vulgar Latin intermediate *wadiō from *wadium.