wage

wage — noun

1. money that someone earns, usually each week, for doing work that involves practi

1.nounB1
Definition

money that someone earns, usually each week, for doing work that involves practical or physical skills rather than professional knowledge gained through a university education.

Example

Nikos earns a good wage working as an electrician for a construction company.

collocation: 'earn a good wage'

The hotel pays its cleaning staff a starting wage of fifteen dollars per hour.

pattern: 'starting wage of [amount] per hour'

Common collocations
  • minimum wage
  • living wage
  • hourly wage
  • low wage
  • weekly wage
  • basic wage
  • wage earner
  • wage increase
Synonyms
  • salary

    a fixed regular payment, typically monthly and for professional workers — salary is not tied to hours worked

  • pay

    the most general term for money received for work — can refer to any form of employment income

  • earnings

    the total amount of money someone makes from work or investments — less specific about how or when it is paid

Grammar Patterns

wage + noun

wages for/of + noun

Usage Note

Wage usually refers to money paid weekly to workers who do physical or practical jobs, while salary is paid monthly to professional or office workers. The plural form wages is common when talking about the total amount earned, especially in phrases like 'low wages' or 'wage increase.'

Common Mistakes

I received my monthly wage as a high school teacher.
I received my monthly salary as a high school teacher.
Teachers and other professionals usually earn a salary, not wages.
She earns a very high wage as a corporate lawyer.
She earns a very high salary as a corporate lawyer.
Professional roles typically use salary; wage implies hourly or weekly payment for manual or skilled trade work.

wage — verb

Word family

  • wages
    noun pluralB1
  • waged
    adjectiveB2
  • wager
    nounC1
  • wager
    verbC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Wage, salary, pay, and earnings all refer to money received for work, but they differ in usage. Wage is the most specific: it usually describes weekly or hourly payment for manual or skilled-trade jobs — a factory worker earns wages, while an accountant earns a salary. Salary is a fixed amount paid monthly or annually, regardless of hours worked, and is associated with professional or office roles. Pay is the broadest term and can replace either wage or salary in many everyday contexts ('pay day,' 'pay rise'). Earnings is a more formal term for total income from any source, including investments or self-employment, not just regular employment. For example: 'The construction workers demanded higher wages' (wage-appropriate for trade workers); 'Her pay at the new job is much better' (general); 'His earnings from freelance work have grown this year' (total income, not just salary).

wage ↗salary ↗pay ↗earnings ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • minimum wage
  • living wage
  • wage war

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinOld North FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

Wage entered English in the 1300s from Old North French 'wage' meaning a pledge or payment. It traces further back to Latin 'vadare' (to promise or pledge). The noun sense of 'payment for work' developed from the idea of a promised reward. The verb sense 'to wage war' grew from the Old French meaning of pledging oneself to a fight.