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on commission

Idioms  

  1. Making money based on sales or services rendered, as in Real estate agents rarely get a salary; they work largely on commission. This use of the noun commission, which generally refers to a percentage of the total price, dates from the early 1700s.

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.

Financial advisers who aren’t on commission almost always recommend that investors buy low-cost financial products.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 20, 2026

In the current climate, we could all learn to think more like people who work on commission.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026

"But I'm paid only on commission, and the idea of no longer being able to afford to stay here -- that, yes, that scares me."

From Barron's • Mar. 13, 2026

Sarah makes the bulk of her money on commission, which has been difficult in the uncertainty gripping Las Vegas.

From Slate • Nov. 18, 2025

While working on her Surinam book, Maria painted a beautiful series of seashells on commission to bolster her dwindling funds.

From "The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian's Art Changed Science" by Joyce Sidman

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.