earn
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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to gain or get in return for one's labor or service.
to earn one's living.
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to merit as compensation, as for service; deserve.
to receive more than one has earned.
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to acquire through merit.
to earn a reputation for honesty.
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to gain as due return or profit.
Savings accounts earn interest.
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to bring about or cause deservedly.
His fair dealing earned our confidence.
verb (used without object)
verb (used without object)
verb
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to gain or be paid (money or other payment) in return for work or service
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(tr) to acquire, merit, or deserve through behaviour or action
he has earned a name for duplicity
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(tr) (of securities, investments, etc) to gain (interest, return, profit, etc)
Related Words
See gain 1.
Other Word Forms
- earner noun
Etymology
Origin of earn1
First recorded before 900; Middle English ern(i)en Old English earnian; akin to Old High German arnēn “to earn, harvest”
Origin of earn1
First recorded in 1570–80; perhaps variant of yearn
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.
Mitchum, who lives near Washington, D.C. and earns nearly $200,000 annually as an executive with a trade association, has a total net worth of about $2.4 million.
Estée Lauder reported quarterly earnings on Thursday, beating earnings expectations and raising its profit outlook, although not by enough to meet high investor expectations.
From MarketWatch
Shares of Alphabet, Amazon and Microsoft all immediately fell after their earnings announcements in recent weeks, as their spending plans overshadowed any positive news of revenue acceleration.
From MarketWatch
In addition to their base salaries, each player also received roster, signing and performance-based bonuses throughout the year, which raises their overall cash earnings for this season.
From MarketWatch
In his final year in sales, he earned about $120,000.
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.
