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Meaning & use

pay increase

noun·Everyday

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UK/ˈpeɪ ˌɪŋkriːs/
US/ˈpeɪ ˌɪŋkriːs/

Meaning

  1. nouncountablebusiness

    A rise in the amount of money an employee earns for their work.

    Grammar: Countable: a pay increase, several pay increases.

    Patterns

    • a pay increase for someone
    • a pay increase of five percent
    • ask for a pay increase

    She asked her manager for a pay increase after two years.

    Workers received a three percent pay increase in January.

    The union is demanding an annual pay increase.

Word forms

pluralpay increases

Common combinations

ask for a pay increase
He decided to ask for a pay increase.
receive a pay increase
All staff received a pay increase this year.
negotiate a pay increase
She negotiated a pay increase when she took on more duties.
a significant pay increase
The new job offers a significant pay increase.
a pay increase of
A pay increase of two percent hardly covers inflation.

Synonyms and how they differ

pay rise
It is the common British expression and means the same, but it sounds more casual.
raise
It is the usual American word and is shorter and more informal.
salary increase
It stresses a fixed yearly salary, so it does not fit hourly workers as well.
pay hike
It sounds informal and journalistic, and it usually suggests a large increase.

Opposites

pay cut

Word family

increase verb
to become or make something greater
increase noun
a rise in amount
increasingly adverb
more and more as time passes
pay noun
money received for work

Commonly confused: pay increase or bonus?

pay increase vs bonus

A bonus is a one-time extra payment, while a pay increase raises your regular earnings permanently.

Practice

After a successful year, the manager gave her a ____, so her monthly earnings went up permanently.

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