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.
One positive sign from Nvidia’s earnings report in November, he said, is that it’s guiding for gross margins to be in the mid-seventies percentage range in the coming year.
From MarketWatch
“Vince Gilligan meant for it to raise questions, not answer them,” said Seehorn, whose performance in the show earned her a Golden Globe nomination for best actress in a television drama.
The Apple chief executive purchased 50,000 Nike shares after the sportswear brand’s disappointing earnings last week.
You deserve every one of those summer holidays, even though many teachers use that time to earn extra bucks.
From MarketWatch
The recreational-vehicle maker’s earnings could get a further boost if a more pronounced selling season causes dealers to restock additional units, but broader economic factors continue to hinder overall retail demand, the analysts say.
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.
