Meaning & use
wage earners
Last updated
“wage earners” is a form of “wage earner”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
nounplural
People who work for pay, especially those paid by the hour or week rather than a salary.
Grammar: The plural of 'wage earner'; use it for a group, and 'wage earner' for one person.
Patterns
- wage earners in something
- low-paid wage earners
- the average wage earner
The new tax rules hit low-income wage earners hardest.
Most wage earners in the region work in manufacturing.
She studied how wage earners spend their monthly income.
nounplural
A person in a household who brings in money from a job.
Grammar: Often used when counting how many people in a family earn money.
Patterns
- two wage earners
- the main wage earner
- a household with two wage earners
Both wage earners in the family lost their jobs that year.
A household with two wage earners can usually save more.
He is the only wage earner among his siblings.
Word forms
| singular | wage earner |
|---|
Common combinations
- low-paid wage earners
- The charity supports low-paid wage earners in the city.
- the average wage earner
- For the average wage earner, rents have risen faster than pay.
- two wage earners
- Most young couples here are two wage earners.
- main wage earner
- After the accident, she became the main wage earner.
- wage earners' rights
- The union campaigns for wage earners' rights.
Synonyms and how they differ
- worker
- Broader and neutral; it covers anyone who works, including the self-employed, while 'wage earner' stresses being paid wages.
- employee
- Focuses on the relationship with an employer rather than on the pay itself.
- breadwinner
- Stresses the person who supports a family financially, not simply anyone who earns wages.
Opposites
Word family
- wage noun
- Money paid regularly for work.
- earner noun
- A person who earns money.
- earnings noun
- The money someone receives from work.
Commonly confused: wage earners or wages earners?
wage earners vs wages earners
Do not write 'wages earners'; in this compound the first word stays singular: 'wage earners'.
Practice
Which sentence uses the expression correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Wage earners' keeps 'wage' singular and takes the plural 'earners' for many people; 'wages earners' and 'wage earner' are wrong in this plural context, and 'wage earning' is a different form used before a noun.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “wage earners”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.