revenue

American  

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

noun

revenues plural

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

Derived Forms

• nonrevenue
  adjective
• revenual
  adjective
• revenued
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• revenues
  plural

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

Additionally, its events in the second half are expected to see a decline in attendance and revenue, they say.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 23, 2026

Indeed, audited figures published last week by financial blogger Ed Zitron and the Financial Times indicate that OpenAI lost a staggering $38.5 billion in 2025 on revenue of $13.1 billion.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 23, 2026

That’s as market gains for those AI-related plays now “comfortably exceed” Goldman’s baseline estimate of just how much growth increased revenue linked to AI can inject into the U.S. economy.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 23, 2026

They do wonder whether Qantas is being too optimistic about the per-seat revenue benefit of flying nonstop, but believe that the market is cautiously optimistic about the initiative.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 23, 2026

Plays that get into the bloodstream of high school theater are lucrative sources of revenue for their creators and heirs—annuities that throw off income for generations without end.

From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove

Related Words

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