disposable income
Americannoun
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the part of a person's income remaining after deducting personal income taxes.
-
(in national income accounting) the total disposable income of all consumers.
noun
-
the money a person has available to spend after paying taxes, pension contributions, etc
-
the total amount of money that the individuals in a community, country, etc, have available to buy consumer goods
Etymology
Origin of disposable income
First recorded in 1945–50
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.
United flyers have disposable income and want to spend on experiences, even as prices rise due to higher fuel costs, CFO Mike Leskinen says during a Morgan Stanley conference.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
Arison has spoken about what he calls a highly appealing user base for advertisers, describing the app’s predominantly male audience as trend-setters with high disposable income.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
Over time, bonuses and raises add up, and the trick is to avoid lifestyle creep as your disposable income increases, Grant said.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026
London is an outlier with an average disposable income of more than £36,000 per head although there are very large variations between London's boroughs.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
My parents never openly discussed their money struggles, but I knew we didn't have disposable income.
From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi
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.
