en
Minimum wage
/ˈmɪnɪməm ˈweɪdʒ/
Definition
1
The lowest legal wage rate that an employer is permitted to pay to workers, typically set by government legislation or labor laws to ensure a basic standard of living.
2
A statutory floor for compensation, often hourly, designed to protect employees from exploitation while balancing economic impacts on businesses.
Examples
He supplemented his minimum wage gig with side hustles, turning coffee runs into a latte empire.
Politicians promise minimum wage hikes like they're handing out free pizza, but the bill always lands on consumers.
After calculating her minimum wage paycheck, she realized rent was basically a subscription to adulting.
Minimum wage jobs are the gym memberships of careers: you show up, sweat a lot, but barely see gains.