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

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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 ”

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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

See Examples For:

revenue revenues

The carrier said that revenue is projected to climb 19.5% to 22.5% in the fourth quarter, during which it is also on track to post an adjusted loss of 50 cents to $1.10 a share.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026

The deal said the city could keep the first $25 million in tax revenue from the stadium every year, then use the revenue generated beyond that to reimburse Kroenke’s companies.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026

Booz Allen BAH 4.70%increase; up pointing triangle Hamilton raised its full-year earnings outlook, after profit climbed in its latest fiscal quarter even as revenue fell.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026

In the view of Hollywood Park, Inglewood welcomed the jobs, tax revenue, increased property values and heightened prestige for a decade, then walked away from the deal when the bills came due.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026

According to the Warden’s latest plan, when finished the boat would serve as both their home and a source of revenue, through commercial fishing.

From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French

Net revenues increased 5.5% to $11.4 billion, compared with Wall Street models for $11.32 billion.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026

However, the additional production of gas from Jackdaw could result in more corporation tax revenues for the UK government, because any profits made by the owner would be taxable.

From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026

The company’s net revenues rose 5.5% to $11.4 billion, beating Wall Street expectations of $11.32 billion.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026

When Anthropic gathered public-market investors recently to whet their appetites for its initial public offering, executives highlighted ballooning revenues and rapidly advancing technology.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026

Since then its revenues had boomed, from $800 million in 2001 to $2.03 billion in 2006.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

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Related Words

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

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