I.
(also wages ) noun
ADJECTIVE
▪ competitive ( esp. AmE ), decent , fair , good , high
▪ inadequate , low , meagre/meager ( esp. BrE ), poverty , small
▪
Women's ~s were lower than men's.
▪
He busked to supplement his meagre ~s.
▪ falling , rising
▪ annual , daily , hourly , regular , weekly , etc.
▪ money
▪ nominal , real
▪
Real ~s fell last year, when inflation is taken into account.
▪ basic ( esp. BrE ), standard
▪
a basic ~ of £100 a week plus tips
▪ livable ( esp. AmE ), living
▪
workers fighting for a living ~
▪ minimum
▪
The Government this week raised the national minimum ~. ( esp. BrE )
▪
They both work minimum-wage jobs. ( esp. AmE )
▪ prevailing ( esp. AmE )
▪
the prevailing ~ for construction work is about $9 per hour
▪
The prevailing ~ is generally determined by local union rates.
▪ average , median ( esp. AmE )
▪ back , lost , unpaid
▪
to receive reimbursement for lost ~s
VERB + WAGE
▪ pay
▪ earn , make ( esp. AmE )
▪
She earns a good ~ at the factory.
▪
15 million Americans make minimum ~.
▪
He made a good ~ as a trader.
▪ live on
▪
How can you live on such a low ~?
▪ demand
▪
Semi-skilled tradesmen began to demand higher ~s.
▪ offer
▪
The store argues that it offers competitive ~s.
▪ accept
▪ receive
▪ determine , set
▪
Markets set the ~s.
▪ increase , push up , raise
▪
Full employment pushed up ~s.
▪ cut , depress ( esp. AmE ), drive down , force down , hold down , keep down , keep low , lower
▪ supplement
▪ dock
▪
They docked his ~s for arriving at work two hours late.
WAGE + VERB
▪ increase , rise
▪ fall
WAGE + NOUN
▪ earner
▪ labour/labor , labourer/laborer ( esp. AmE ), workers
▪ slave ( figurative )
▪
my life as a corporate ~ slave
▪ claim
▪
The union submitted a ~ claim for a 9% rise.
▪ bargaining , negotiations
▪ agreement , settlement
▪ cut , reduction
▪ cap , controls , freeze , restraint
▪
The government promised greater tax cuts in return for continued ~ restraints.
▪ explosion , growth ( esp. AmE ), hike ( esp. AmE ), increase , inflation , rise ( BrE )
▪ bill ( BrE ), costs
▪ structure , system
▪ rate , scale ( esp. AmE )
▪ differential ( esp. AmE ), gap , inequality
▪
~ differentials between large and small companies
▪
the ~ gap between men and women
▪ packet ( BrE )
▪
He got his first ~ packet at fourteen years old.
PHRASES
▪ a cut in ~s , a decline in ~s , a fall in ~s
▪ a downward pressure on ~s , an upward pressure on ~s
▪
Staff shortages have put an upward pressure on ~s.
▪ growth in ~s , an increase in ~s , a rise in ~s ( esp. BrE )
II.
verb
Wage is used with these nouns as the object: ↑ battle , ↑ campaign , ↑ crusade , ↑ struggle , ↑ vendetta , ↑ war , ↑ warfare