income

American  

[in-kuhm] / ˈɪn kʌm /

noun

• incomes
  plural

1. revenue received for goods or services, or from other sources, as rents or investments.

   For years, her only source of income was the small number of stocks her father left her.

2. the money, or amount of money, received from one’s employment.

   a household with three incomes;

   a healthcare worker with an income that hasn’t increased in five years.

   Synonyms:

   earnings, wages, salary, return, gains, annuity, interest

   Antonyms:

   expenditure, outgo

3. something that comes in as an addition or increase, especially by chance.

4. Archaic. a coming in.

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income British  

/ ˈɪnkəm, ˈɪnkʌm /

noun

1. the amount of monetary or other returns, either earned or unearned, accruing over a given period of time

2. receipts; revenue

3. rare an inflow or influx

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income Cultural  

1. The amount of money received during a period of time in exchange for labor or services, from the sale of goods or property, or as a profit from financial investments.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• incomeless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• incomes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of income

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English: literally, “that which has come in,” noun use of incomen (past participle of incomen “to come in”), Old English incuman; see in, come

Explanation

What could be simpler than to remember that income basically refers to money that "comes in," or is earned. Your income is the money you make in a given time period, for example weekly, monthly, or annually. Your income might come from many sources — salary, investments, interest or annuities. Today income is used as a noun, but the Old English word incuman was first a verb that meant "to come in," and referred to the money earned through one's labor or business dealings. The first income tax was attempted in Britain in 1404, but was so unpopular it was ended. In the United States, the Federal Income Tax became law in 1913, and, unfortunately, is still in effect.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

income incomes

Lecornu has said the draft law, first presented before the protests, would allow these sums to be "taken from family allowances and housing benefits, while ensuring a minimum income is preserved".

From Barron's ● Oct. 5, 2026

In other words, Manchester City's owners circumvented the league's financial regulations over a number of years by pumping money into the club that should not have been recorded as sponsorship income.

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026

A larger net worth might not mean a higher monthly income, but it has made many people comfortable spending a bit more than they would otherwise.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026

For instance, a Roth IRA passes income tax-free.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026

He wanted to know what their combined family income was.

From "I Can Make This Promise" by Christine Day

Frequent participation in baseball has fallen 28% since 2014 in families with annual incomes of less than $100,000, according to data from the Sports & Fitness Industry Association.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026

However, Pensions Minister Torsten Bell told the BBC that "a rising number of young workers aren't saving, and overall there is a danger tomorrow's retirees are on track for lower private pension incomes than today's".

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

By one measure, California is short nearly 1.4 million homes for people earning very low incomes.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

Supermarkets are mostly used by "the young urban population with comfortable incomes", the economist added.

From Barron's ● Sep. 27, 2026

With three incomes, the family might soon be able to afford a house of their own, perhaps on one of the wide macadam streets of Englewood.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

Related Words

• cash
• compensation
• earnings
• interest
• livelihood
• pay
• proceeds
• profit
• revenue
• royalty
• salary
• wage