[singular] (also wages [plural]) a regular amount of money that you earn, usually every week, for work or services wages of £200 a week a weekly wage of £200 wage cuts a wage increase of 3% (British English) a wage rise of 3% wage demands/claims/settlements Wages are paid on Fridays. There are extra benefits for people on low wages. Tax and insurance are deducted from your wages. The staff have agreed to a voluntary wage freeze (= a situation in which wages are not increased for a time). Synonymsincomewage/wages pay salary earningsThese 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 incomeswage/wages money that employees get for doing their job, usually paid every week:a weekly wage of £200pay 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. Employees who work in factories, etc. get their wages each week. 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 workersPatterns (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… Wordfinderpaybonus, commission, deduction, earn, overtime, pay, rise, salary, tax, wage CollocationsFinanceIncome earn money/cash/(informal) a fortune 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 securityExpenditure 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 card pay by/make out a/write somebody a/accept a (British English) cheque/(US English) check change/exchange money/currency/(British English) traveller’s cheques/(US English) traveler’s checks give/pay/leave (somebody) a depositBanks 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/overdrawnPersonal 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/(usually North American English) installmentsFinancial 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 Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectivecompetitive, decent, fair, … verb + wagepay, earn, make, … wage + verbincrease, rise, fall, … wage + nounearner, labour/labor, labourer/laborer, … phrasesa 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.Extra examples Full employment pushed up wages. He busked to supplement his meagre wages. He got his first wage packet at fourteen years old. He made a good wage as a trader. How can you live on such a low wage? If money wages remain constant and price levels rise, real wages fall. 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 this week raised the national minimum wage. 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 both work minimum-wage jobs. 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 workers fighting for a living wage He gets a weekly wage of £300. He receives weekly wages of £300. She earns £120 a week, which is nothing like a living wage. The staff have agreed to a voluntary wage freeze. There are extra benefits for people on low wages. a minimum wage
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