income

American  

[in-kuhm] / ˈɪn kʌm /

noun

• incomes
  plural

1. revenue received for goods or services, or from other sources, as rents or investments.

   For years, her only source of income was the small number of stocks her father left her.

2. the money, or amount of money, received from one’s employment.

   a household with three incomes;

   a healthcare worker with an income that hasn’t increased in five years.

   Synonyms:

   earnings, wages, salary, return, gains, annuity, interest

   Antonyms:

   expenditure, outgo

3. something that comes in as an addition or increase, especially by chance.

4. Archaic. a coming in.

---

income British  

/ ˈɪnkəm, ˈɪnkʌm /

noun

1. the amount of monetary or other returns, either earned or unearned, accruing over a given period of time

2. receipts; revenue

3. rare an inflow or influx

---

income Cultural  

1. The amount of money received during a period of time in exchange for labor or services, from the sale of goods or property, or as a profit from financial investments.

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• incomeless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• incomes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of income

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English: literally, “that which has come in,” noun use of incomen (past participle of incomen “to come in”), Old English incuman; see in, come

Explanation

What could be simpler than to remember that income basically refers to money that "comes in," or is earned. Your income is the money you make in a given time period, for example weekly, monthly, or annually. Your income might come from many sources — salary, investments, interest or annuities. Today income is used as a noun, but the Old English word incuman was first a verb that meant "to come in," and referred to the money earned through one's labor or business dealings. The first income tax was attempted in Britain in 1404, but was so unpopular it was ended. In the United States, the Federal Income Tax became law in 1913, and, unfortunately, is still in effect.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

income incomes

In her household, she pulls in an annual income Forbes estimates at $7.5 million.

From Salon ● Sep. 12, 2026

"If our work is stopped, we lose the income that enables us to pay rent and buy food. When those jobs are taken away, the only option left is to return home."

From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026

Jaxon Smith-Njigba, the star wide receiver for the Seattle Seahawks, has played there since 2023, benefiting from the state’s lack of income tax.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

Jean Chatzky — author of the new book “The Forever Paycheck,” which makes the case for setting up guaranteed retirement income — is considering these as a part of her own portfolio.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 11, 2026

The gym instructor was a short, chunky man in his early thirties who taught in the mornings in a nearby public high school and supplemented his income by teaching in our yeshiva during the afternoons.

From "The Chosen" by Chaim Potok

Investors worry that higher gasoline and food costs are squeezing consumers, particularly those with lower incomes.

From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026

First-time home buyers face prices for starter homes that their incomes cannot cover.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026

"People with higher incomes may be more likely to use dry cleaning services, which could increase their exposure to PCE," said Lee.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 7, 2026

Productivity gains would then translate directly into higher living standards for all Americans—not merely into higher nominal incomes chasing ever-rising prices.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026

The Times set out to create a financial portrait of the very richest Americans, how their incomes have changed over the decades, and how the tax cuts will affect them.

From "Class Matters" by The New York Times

Related Words

• cash
• compensation
• earnings
• interest
• livelihood
• pay
• proceeds
• profit
• revenue
• royalty
• salary
• wage