minimum wage

noun

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

Michigan's minimum wage is slated to be $10.56, up 23 cents, due to legislation. —Kate Gibson, CBS News, 30 Dec. 2024

The highest minimum wages will be in Washington, California and Connecticut, all of which will top $16 an hour after modest increases. —David A. Lieb, Los Angeles Times, 29 Dec. 2024

Ohio voters passed a constitutional amendment in 2006 to raise the minimum wage each year by the rate of inflation. —Erin Glynn, The Enquirer, 28 Dec. 2024

More:An important deadline small businesses in Texas need to know before 2024 ends to avoid fines More:Is Texas raising minimum wage in 2025? —Brandi D. Addison, Austin American-Statesman, 26 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1860, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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