noun · neutral
wage
/weɪdʒ/WAGE
Money paid to a worker, often calculated by the hour or week rather than as a fixed annual salary.
Examples
“Many factory workers depend on weekly wages to cover basic expenses.”
“The union demanded a pay rise to improve low wages in the region.”
“He negotiated a higher starting wage before signing the contract.”
Band 8 sentence
“Although productivity has risen significantly, real wages for manual workers have barely budged, which fuels public discontent.”
Collocations
- minimum wage
- hourly wage
- wage increase
- low wages
Word family
Common mistakes
I earn wage $5 an hour.→I earn $5 an hour.
He has many wages.→He earns decent wages.
Say it for a higher band
5money→6salary→7+wage
Synonyms
remuneration
Easily confused
salary
“She receives a fixed salary every month regardless of overtime.”
income
“After selling the apartment she had a higher income that year.”
Related words
Learn this word with the rest of its set, and get reminded at the right time.
In Shopping & Money
Learn it with its set