disposable income
Americannoun
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the part of a person's income remaining after deducting personal income taxes.
-
(in national income accounting) the total disposable income of all consumers.
noun
-
the money a person has available to spend after paying taxes, pension contributions, etc
-
the total amount of money that the individuals in a community, country, etc, have available to buy consumer goods
Etymology
Origin of disposable income
First recorded in 1945–50
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.
Some researchers are concerned retailers could use personal data to set higher base prices for individuals, without their knowledge, when algorithms detect things like urgent need or high disposable income.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026
With the wealth effect from Americans’ vast holdings of stocks — at a record 250% of disposable income based on Federal Reserve flow-of-funds data — rising stock prices have been driving consumer spending.
From MarketWatch • May 21, 2026
"When disposable income falls, our businesses suffer. And right now, people have a lot less disposable income."
From BBC • May 1, 2026
Real disposable income fell 0.1%, and savings dropped to 3.6%.
From Barron's • Apr. 30, 2026
My parents never openly discussed their money struggles, but I knew we didn't have disposable income.
From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
