revenue

American  

[rev-uhn-yoo, -uh-noo] / ˈrɛv ənˌyu, -əˌnu /

noun

1. the income of a government from taxation, excise duties, customs, or other sources, appropriated to the payment of the public expenses.

2. the government department charged with the collection of such income.

3. revenues, the collective items or amounts of income of a person, a state, etc.

4. the return or yield from any kind of property, patent, service, etc.; income.

5. an amount of money regularly coming in.

6. a particular item or source of income.

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revenue British  

/ ˈrɛvɪˌnjuː /

noun

1. the income accruing from taxation to a government during a specified period of time, usually a year

2. 1. a government department responsible for the collection of government revenue

   2. ( as modifier )

      revenue men

3. the gross income from a business enterprise, investment, property, etc

4. a particular item of income

5. something that yields a regular financial return; source of income

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revenue Cultural  

1. The income of local, state, or national governments.

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Other Word Forms

• nonrevenue adjective
• revenual adjective
• revenued adjective

Etymology

Origin of revenue

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Middle French, noun use of feminine past participle of revenir “to return,” from Latin revenīre, equivalent to re- re- + venīre “to come ”

Explanation

Revenue is money earned by a business, or income received by the government from taxes. The government is always interested in dreaming up new sources of revenue, and so is the average head of a company unless she doesn't want to be the head anymore. Revenue is from a French word meaning "to return or come back," and dollar returns are always a welcome thing. Declining advertising revenue will doom your website, no matter how great it is. If your lemonade stand is not making a profit, you might consider lowering costs. Maybe you could get cheaper lemonade mix? Or you might look for more creative and exciting ways to increase revenue––like raiding the pantry for cookies you can sell as well.

Example Sentences

In a letter to shareholders this month, Jassy said AWS’s AI revenue run rate was over $15 billion for the first quarter of 2026.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 20, 2026

The company said revenue rose 12% to $6.40 billion in its most recent quarter ended Feb. 27.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026

Its revenue ballooned from $108 billion in fiscal year 2011 to more than $416 billion in fiscal year 2025.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 20, 2026

That’s because companies that are aggressively repurchasing their shares can sometimes hide their anemic revenue growth, which in turn reduces the likelihood that they can significantly increase their dividends in ensuing years.

From Barron's • Apr. 20, 2026

Over the next three years, as the Depression strangled the economy, state governments searched desperately for revenue.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand

Related Words

• credit
• dividend
• earnings
• fund
• gain
• interest
• pay
• proceeds
• receipt
• return
• salary
• stock
• wealth
• yield