wage

noun

/weɪdʒ/

[singular]

(also wages [plural])

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a regular amount of money that you earn, usually every week or every month, for work or services
- wage/wages of something wages of £300 a week
- a weekly wage of £300
- an hourly/a daily/a monthly wage
- Workers in these stores earn a good wage.
- We all hope we can find a job that pays a decent wage.
- Wages were paid on Fridays.
- They are prepared to work for wages well below the legal minimum.
- The average wage for unskilled workers is very low.
- on… wages There are extra benefits for people on low wages.
- Workers have been on strike for higher wages since October.
- Tax and insurance are deducted from your wages.
- low/minimum wage earners
- wage cuts
- a wage increase of 3%
- (British English also) a wage rise of 3%
- wage demands/claims/settlements
- The staff have agreed to a voluntary wage freeze (= a situation in which wages are not increased for a time).
Synonyms income
income
- wage/wages
- pay
- salary
- earnings
These are all words for money that a person earns or receives for their work.
- income money that a person receives for their work, or from investments or business:
  people on low incomes
- wage/wages money that employees get for doing their job, usually paid every week or every month:
  a weekly wage of £200
- pay money that employees earn for doing their job:
  The job offers good rates of pay.
- salary money that employees earn for doing their job, usually paid every month.
wage, pay or salary?Pay is the most general of these three words. In the past, employees who worked in factories, shops etc. got their wages each week, often paid in cash. These days they are more likely to be paid each month, directly into their bank account, but the term wage is still used for these kinds of jobs. Employees who work in offices or professional people such as teachers or doctors receive a salary that is paid each month, but is usually expressed as an annual figure.
- earnings money that a person earns from their work:
  a rise in average earnings for factory workers
Patterns
- (a) high/low/basic income/wage/pay/salary/earnings
- to earn an income/a wage/your pay/a salary
- to be on a(n) income/wage/salary of…
Wordfinder
- bonus
- commission
- deduction
- earn
- overtime
- pay
- rise
- salary
- tax
- wage
Collocations Finance
FinanceIncome
- earn money/cash/(informal) a fortune/the minimum wage/a living wage
- make money/a fortune/(informal) a killing on the stock market
- acquire/inherit/amass wealth/a fortune
- build up funds/savings
- get/receive/leave (somebody) an inheritance/a legacy
- live on a low wage/a fixed income/a pension
- get/receive/draw/collect a pension
- depend/be dependent on (British English) benefits/(North American English) welfare/social security
Expenditure
- spend money/your savings/(informal) a fortune on…
- invest/put your savings in…
- throw away/waste/ (informal) shell out money on…
- lose your money/inheritance/pension
- use up/ (informal) wipe out all your savings
- pay (in) cash
- use/pay by a credit/debit/contactless card
- pay by/make out a/write somebody a/accept a (British English) cheque/(US English) check
- change/exchange money/currency
- give/pay/leave (somebody) a deposit
Banks
- have/hold/open/close/freeze a bank account/an account
- credit/debit/pay something into/take money out of your account
- deposit money/funds in your account
- withdraw money/cash/£30 from an ATM, etc.
- (formal) make a deposit/withdrawal
- find/go to/use (especially North American English) an ATM/(British English) a cash machine/dispenser
- be in credit/in debit/in the black/in the red/overdrawn
- use a mobile/an online banking app/platform/service
Personal finance
- manage/handle/plan/run/ (especially British English) sort out your finances
- plan/manage/work out/stick to a budget
- offer/extend credit (to somebody)
- arrange/take out a loan/an overdraft
- pay back/repay money/a loan/a debt
- pay for something in (especially British English) instalments/(North American English usually) installments
Financial difficulties
- get into debt/financial difficulties
- be short of/ (informal) be strapped for cash
- run out of/owe money
- face/get/ (informal) be landed with a bill for £…
- can’t afford the cost of…/payments/rent
- fall behind with/ (especially North American English) fall behind on the mortgage/repayments/rent
- incur/run up/accumulate debts
- tackle/reduce/settle your debts
compare salary see also living wage, minimum wage
Extra Examples
- Full employment pushed up wages.
- He busked to supplement his meagre wages.
- He made a good wage as a trader.
- How can you live on such a low wage?
- Markets set the wages.
- Real wages fell last year, when inflation is taken into account.
- Semi-skilled tradesmen began to demand higher wages.
- She earns a good wage at the factory.
- Staff shortages have put an upward pressure on wages.
- The government promised greater tax cuts in return for continued wage restraints.
- The prevailing wage is generally determined by local union rates.
- The store argues that it offers competitive wages.
- The union submitted a wage claim for a 9% rise.
- They docked his wages for arriving at work two hours late.
- Women's wages were lower than men's.
- a basic wage of £100 a week plus tips
- my life as a corporate wage slave
- the wage gap between men and women
- to receive reimbursement for lost wages
- wage differentials between large and small companies
- He gets a weekly wage of £300.
- He receives weekly wages of £300.
Topics Moneyb2, Jobsb2
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- competitive
- decent
- fair
- …
verb + wage
- pay
- earn
- make
- …
wage + verb
- increase
- rise
- fall
- …
wage + noun
- earner
- labour/labor
- labourer/laborer
- …
phrases
- a cut in wages
- a decline in wages
- a fall in wages
- …
See full entry
Word OriginMiddle English: from Anglo-Norman French and Old Northern French, of Germanic origin; related to wed.