minimum wage

noun

Synonyms of minimum wagenext
1
: living wage
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The council eventually agreed in May to delay implementation of the minimum wage increase by 18 months in exchange for the business coalition withdrawing the gross receipts measure. — Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026 In horizontal-review mode, the Court has struck down laws limiting slavery and child labor, establishing income taxes and minimum wages, and restricting corporations from tilting elections or firing workers for union activity. — Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026 The dollar value of the minimum wage has fallen from about $105 to $86 since late March as the rial has weakened significantly. — Hamidreza Azizi, Time, 29 Aug. 2026 In 2014, Reginald Wayne pleaded guilty in federal court to four felony charges and two misdemeanor charges related to labor fraud, visa fraud and failing to pay minimum wages to students at his Bible college. — Britt Hayes, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for minimum wage

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

Rhymes for minimum wage

See All Rhymes for minimum wage

Browse Nearby Words

minimum security prison
minimum wage
minimum weight
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Cite this Entry

“Minimum wage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/minimum%20wage. Accessed 3 Sep. 2026.

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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

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for minimum wage

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about minimum wage

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