minimum wage

noun

1
2
: the lowest wage paid or permitted to be paid
specifically : a wage fixed by legal authority or by contract as the least that may be paid either to employed persons generally or to a particular category of employed persons

Examples of minimum wage in a Sentence

Congress will vote on a bill to raise the minimum wage.
Recent Examples on the Web The government of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan doubled the minimum wage to about $525 a month in January compared with the previous year in an effort to help the poorest Turks cope. Scott McLean, CNN, 20 Mar. 2024 According to the Star Tribune, a daily newspaper based in Minneapolis, the council voted 10 to 3 to override Mayor Jacob Frey's veto of the ordinance, which is set to take effect May 1 and would increase driver wages to the equivalent of the local minimum wage of $15.57 an hour. Gabe Hauari, USA TODAY, 15 Mar. 2024 Those jobs will be paid above minimum wage and will also come with benefits. Alexandra Hardle, The Arizona Republic, 14 Mar. 2024 Workers on the minimum wage will also get an uplift of almost 10%. Andrew Atkinson, Fortune Europe, 13 Mar. 2024 The San Diego Community College District is setting the bar high with its new $30 an hour minimum wage for classified employees. Jim Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Mar. 2024 As an assemblyman in recent years, McCarty voted for controversial bills aimed at improving working conditions and establishing a higher minimum wage at fast food restaurants. Theresa Clift, Sacramento Bee, 6 Mar. 2024 The formula intends to ensure drivers are paid the Minneapolis minimum wage equivalent of $15.57 an hour. Trisha Ahmed, Fortune, 8 Mar. 2024 And raise the federal minimum wage because every worker has the right to earn a decent living! USA TODAY, 8 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'minimum wage.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1860, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of minimum wage was in 1860

Dictionary Entries Near minimum wage

Cite this Entry

“Minimum wage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/minimum%20wage. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

minimum wage

noun
: a wage fixed (as by law) as the least that may be paid to employed persons

Legal Definition

minimum wage

noun
: a wage fixed by contract or especially by law as the least that may be paid either to employees generally or to a particular category of employees compare scale

More from Merriam-Webster on minimum wage

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