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Definitions

base pay

NOUN
pay excluding extras
Synonyms


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Hospital-based roles, for example, often come with overtime, bonuses and higher pay for night or weekend shifts that can push total earnings well above base pay.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 28, 2026

U.S. employees will receive severance of 16 weeks of base pay, plus two additional weeks for every year they have been with the company, Gale added.

From Barron's • Apr. 23, 2026

Affected staff will receive 16 weeks of base pay plus two weeks per year of service.

From Barron's • Apr. 23, 2026

Some agencies’ advertisements say surrogates can expect six figure-payouts—without disclosing that base pay is much lower, and that higher payments usually only take place in the event of major medical complications.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 28, 2025

Between the base pay of $2.15 an hour and the obligation to share tips with the busboys and dishwashers, we’re averaging only about $7.50 an hour.

From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich