revenue
Americannoun
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revenues
plural
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the income of a government from taxation, excise duties, customs, or other sources, appropriated to the payment of the public expenses.
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the government department charged with the collection of such income.
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revenues, the collective items or amounts of income of a person, a state, etc.
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the return or yield from any kind of property, patent, service, etc.; income.
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an amount of money regularly coming in.
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a particular item or source of income.
noun
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the income accruing from taxation to a government during a specified period of time, usually a year
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a government department responsible for the collection of government revenue
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( as modifier )
revenue men
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the gross income from a business enterprise, investment, property, etc
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a particular item of income
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something that yields a regular financial return; source of income
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of revenue
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Middle French, noun use of feminine past participle of revenir “to return,” from Latin revenīre, equivalent to re- re- + venīre “to come ”
Explanation
Revenue is money earned by a business, or income received by the government from taxes. The government is always interested in dreaming up new sources of revenue, and so is the average head of a company unless she doesn't want to be the head anymore. Revenue is from a French word meaning "to return or come back," and dollar returns are always a welcome thing. Declining advertising revenue will doom your website, no matter how great it is. If your lemonade stand is not making a profit, you might consider lowering costs. Maybe you could get cheaper lemonade mix? Or you might look for more creative and exciting ways to increase revenue––like raiding the pantry for cookies you can sell as well.
Vocabulary lists containing revenue
Vocabulary from "Stop Expecting Games to Build Empathy" by Julie Muncy
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Stamp Act (1765)
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Fidel Castro (1926-2016) Memorial List
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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.
See Examples For:
Morgan Stanley expects China’s annual tourism and travel revenue to rise to about $1.8 trillion and make up 6.7% of the country’s GDP by 2030.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026
“The memory constraints and inflation that’s happened across the board indicates that Apple is really looking at the premium SKUs to try to maximize revenue and somewhat protect their margins,” Naranjo told MarketWatch.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 7, 2026
The analyst notes that overseas revenue contribution increased to 82% in 1H from 75% in 2025, with margins showing steady improvement despite ongoing cost pressures.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026
Third place went to the much-delayed, mixed animation-and-live action Looney Tunes flick "Coyote vs. Acme," with revenue of $11.3 million as it slipped from second place in its second week.
From Barron's ● Sep. 6, 2026
The Osage have found new sources of revenue, including from seven casinos that have been built on their territory.
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
Espino de Marotta: It’s a good business and it will help diversify the canal revenues.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026
I guess they are counting on a playoff appearance to recover the lost regular-season revenues.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026
Public health experts say the issue extends beyond lost tax revenues and unfair competition for legitimate businesses.
From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026
The retailer reported net revenues of nearly $42 billion in 2025, an increase of 8% compared to the previous year.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 2026
In July 2007, Merrill Lynch announced yet another sensationally profitable quarter, but admitted it had suffered a decline in revenues from mortgage trading due to losses in subprime bonds.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
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.
