Meaning & use
wages
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“wages” is a form of “wage”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
nounusually plural
Money paid to a worker for their labor, usually calculated by the hour, day or week.
Grammar: Normally plural with a plural verb: wages are rising, not a wages.
Patterns
- wages for something
- earn wages
Wages at the factory are paid every Friday.
Rising prices have eaten into the wages of many families.
She spent her first wages on a secondhand bicycle.
verbtransitiveformal
Third person singular of wage: carries on a war, campaign or struggle over a period of time.
Grammar: Takes an object such as war or campaign: the group wages a campaign.
Patterns
- wages war on something
- wages a campaign against something
The city wages a constant campaign against litter.
The charity wages war on hunger in remote villages.
The government wages a long battle against inflation.
Word forms
| singular | wage |
|---|
Common combinations
- minimum wages
- The union demanded higher minimum wages for hotel workers.
- earn wages
- Teenagers earn wages from weekend jobs.
- unpaid wages
- The workers took the company to court over unpaid wages.
- cut wages
- The company decided to cut wages instead of laying off staff.
- wages and salaries
- Wages and salaries make up most of the school's budget.
- stagnant wages
- Stagnant wages have made it hard to afford housing.
Synonyms and how they differ
- pay
- Pay is the general everyday word for any money earned from work, while wages are specifically paid by the hour, day or week.
- salary
- A salary is a fixed yearly amount, usually for office or professional jobs, while wages vary with hours worked.
- earnings
- Earnings is wider and can include tips, bonuses and business profit, while wages refers only to regular pay.
- income
- Income covers all money coming in from any source, including investments, while wages are only from a job.
Word family
- wage noun
- the singular form, often before another noun, as in wage rise
- wage verb
- to carry on a war or campaign
- wage earner noun
- someone who works for pay
- wage slave noun
- a person who feels trapped by dependence on a job
Commonly confused: wages or wages vs salary?
wages vs wages vs salary
Salary is a set yearly figure, while wages are counted by hours or days, so a shop assistant usually earns wages and a manager a salary.
Practice
The cafe owner promised to pay the workers their ___ on Friday.
Choose one answer.
Wages means pay for work, which fits pay the workers their wages. Wagers is tempting by sound but means bets.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “wages”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.