Skip to main content
wage hike

wage hike

2 3.0
An increase in the pay workers get for doing a job
  • noun
  • /weɪdʒ haɪk/
translation icon : aumento salarial
  • Industries outside of government will resist wage hikes by government agencies because such increases would force them to pay more to remain competitive for workers.
  • minimum wage hike
  • county wage hike
  • wage hike for workers

After all, pensions wouldn't need to be paid out for years, unlike wage hikes which were immediate.

Examples

  • It is why youth unemployment jumped at the last minimum wage hike and is still elevated.

    Blog text (12)
  • At the time of the 2007 federal wage hike, 31 states and the District of Columbia had passed laws setting higher wage standards, none of which was surpassed by the federal increase.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Each of those minimum wage hikes hurt employment.

    Blog text (20)
  • Whereas some researchers have found that minimum wage hikes lead to a rise in unemployment, others have found that they enhance employment.

    Academic text (2011)
  • After all, pensions wouldn't need to be paid out for years, unlike wage hikes which were immediate.

  • With greater disposable income available following wage hikes, affected workers would then be less likely to experience cost-related barriers to accessing medical care.

    Academic text (2011)
  • The unprecedented growth in income inequality over the past decade has long frustrated workers fighting tooth and nail to hang on to basic benefits like health care and annual wage hikes, UAW Illinois legislative director Mark Haasis said.

    Blog text (25)
  • The city recently agreed to a wage hike for teachers.

  • The County Board approved similar wage hikes for county workers.

  • The proposal calls for 5% wage hikes in each of the three years.

Synonyms

rise
vswage hike
432 1.9

An increase in amount or value

applies specifically to increases in employee pay rather than any measure
raise
vswage hike
  • US
252 3.5

An increase in the money you earn at your job

refers to increases given to employees in general rather than personal phrasing
hike
vswage hike
67 3.6

A sudden large rise in prices like fuel or rent

describes a regular increase in employee pay without suddenness emphasis
wage increase
vswage hike
12 2.5

Extra money that an employer pays a worker for their job

is the same meaning without any real difference in use
salary increase
vswage hike
5 2.4

Extra money paid to a person for their job

covers increases for all types of employee pay not only fixed ones
wage concession
vswage hike
1 4.7

An agreement for an employer to raise workers' pay after talks

is any increase in employee pay not necessarily from negotiated agreement

Antonyms

31 2.8

A reduction in the money a worker receives from their job

1 4.1

A policy that stops pay from increasing for a set time

How Big

wage hike
2 3.0
wage increase
12 2.5
raise
  • US
252 3.5

Surface Forms

wage hike singular
wage hikes plural

Morphology

wage + hike

The meaning 'an increase in wages' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'wage' (payment to an employee) with 'hike' (a rise or increase), following a common noun+noun compounding/collocation pattern. This is a frequent, cross-linguistically common concept (e.g. 'salary increase') and a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

Wage hike comes from a simple picture: a hike is a long walk up a hill that takes you higher, and wage means pay. So a wage hike is 'an increase' in pay, like going up a hill instead of staying level.