wages
wages — noun
1. Money given regularly by an employer to a worker for their work, most often calc
Money given regularly by an employer to a worker for their work, most often calculated by the hour, day, or week and paid weekly.
Yuki was happy when his wages went up after his first year at the factory.
collocation: wages go up / wages increase
The hotel pays its cleaning staff wages of fifteen dollars for each hour they work.
pattern: wages of [amount] per [time unit]
After taxes were taken out, Diego's weekly wages barely covered his rent and food.
Fatima saved almost all of her wages from the summer job to buy a used car.
Many workers in the area are demanding higher wages and better working conditions.
用法筆記
Wages is almost always used in its plural form. The singular wage can appear before a noun (wage increase, wage cut) or in fixed phrases like minimum wage. Unlike salary, which is given as a fixed yearly amount and paid monthly, wages change depending on how many hours or days a person works.
常見錯誤
2. The deserved result of someone's actions or behaviour, whether good or bad — oft
The deserved result of someone's actions or behaviour, whether good or bad — often used in a biblical or literary expression.
A documentary showed a ruined fishing village as the wages of a mining company's bribes to local officials.
fixed phrase: the wages of [corruption/greed]
Elena saw her promotion as the wages of years of hard work and dedication to the company.
pattern: the wages of [effort/sacrifice]
In the novel, the main character finally receives the wages of his greed and dishonesty.
Amara considered the team's championship title the just wages of months of intense training.
- reward
positive connotation only, more commonly used
- consequence
neutral in tone, not limited to literary use
- recompense
formal word for something given in return
用法筆記
This sense is now mostly limited to fixed or literary expressions, especially the biblical phrase the wages of sin. It is used with a singular verb when the wages of... acts as the subject, just like the original Bible verse.
wages — verb
1. To take part in and continue a war, battle, or organised activity over a period
To take part in and continue a war, battle, or organised activity over a period of time in order to achieve a goal.
The two countries have been waging a border war for more than a decade.
collocation: wage a war
Local community groups are waging a campaign to stop the new highway from cutting through the park.
collocation: wage a campaign
The government has been waging a long struggle against corruption in the police force.
Haruki's team waged a successful advertising campaign that doubled the company's sales in six months.
Doctors and nurses are waging a fight against the spread of the disease in rural villages.
文法句型
wage + war/campaign/battle/fight/struggle
用法筆記
The object of this verb is almost always a war, campaign, battle, fight, or struggle. It is not used for small, casual, or personal activities — you would not wage a chess match or wage a conversation.