earnings
Americannoun
plural noun
-
money or other payment earned
-
the profits of an enterprise
Etymology
Origin of earnings
before 1050; Middle English erning, Old English earning, earnung merit, pay. See earn 1, -ing 1, -s 3
Explanation
Earnings are the amount of money you make from doing a job. You'll be a lot more excited about babysitting when you learn your earnings will be more than generous. Most earnings come from work that you've done, although money you earn from an investment can also be called earnings. Any financial profit or gain you make go into the earnings category, since you earn that money, whether through work, luck, or intelligence. The Proto-Germanic root, *aznon, means "do harvest work."
Vocabulary lists containing earnings
One Idea, Part 1
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Century 21 Accounting, 9e, Chapters 11-14
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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.
Jumping to second place, Focus Features' original horror film "Obsession" drew $28.5 million in sales on its second weekend, bringing its total earnings to an estimated $59 million.
From Barron's • May 24, 2026
Despite a light earnings calendar, there are a few notable companies reporting quarterly results.
From Barron's • May 24, 2026
Strong corporate earnings have helped support the market, particularly in areas tied to artificial intelligence and technology.
From MarketWatch • May 23, 2026
Last year, the Trade Unions Congress produced analysis which estimated that in 2024 3.8 million people worked an average of 7.2 unpaid hours a week, losing out on earnings of £8,000 per year.
From BBC • May 23, 2026
End of story—at least if it’s a story about attempting to match earnings to rent.
From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich
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.
