There are two different meanings and uses for the word "wage." In the first set of examples, "wage" is a noun that refers to money paid to a person for doing a job:
She makes a high hourly wage at her job.
What’s your hourly wage?
His wages over the course of a year amount to $40,000.
Their combined monthly wages come to $3,500.
The minimum wage is the lowest amount of money that can be paid to an employee by law. In our state the minimum wage is $7.25 per hour.
When the word "wage" is used as a verb, it means to act in a combative manner (fighting) or to struggle against something:
He’s waging a losing battle against his gambling addiction.
People who wage war on each other eventually realize it’s not a good solution to the problems that exist among people.
