Dictionary.com

Popular Searches

 Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

income

American  
[in-kuhm] / ˈɪn kʌm /

noun

  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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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

  • incomeless adjective

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; in, come

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.

"I'm from a low income background so I have maximum student finance, so what that means for the future, god knows how much I'll be paying," she added.

From BBC

The latest estimates for growth, inflation, unemployment, government spending and tax income over the next few years will be published alongside the statement.

From BBC

Given the relatively sparse facilities in their home country, and the possibility of generating greater income elsewhere, Fiji have been given dispensation to play their home matches on neutral territory.

From BBC

This income is now a core budget line item.

From MarketWatch

In your favor, you will not be taxed on all your “income.”

From MarketWatch

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.