earn
1 Americanverb (used with object)
-
to gain or get in return for one's labor or service.
to earn one's living.
-
to merit as compensation, as for service; deserve.
to receive more than one has earned.
-
to acquire through merit.
to earn a reputation for honesty.
-
to gain as due return or profit.
Savings accounts earn interest.
-
to bring about or cause deservedly.
His fair dealing earned our confidence.
verb (used without object)
verb (used without object)
verb
-
to gain or be paid (money or other payment) in return for work or service
-
(tr) to acquire, merit, or deserve through behaviour or action
he has earned a name for duplicity
-
(tr) (of securities, investments, etc) to gain (interest, return, profit, etc)
Related Words
See gain 1.
Other Word Forms
- earner noun
Etymology
Origin of earn1
First recorded before 900; Middle English ern(i)en Old English earnian; akin to Old High German arnēn “to earn, harvest”
Origin of earn2
First recorded in 1570–80; perhaps variant of yearn
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.
Hill told investors late Tuesday as the company reported earnings.
Chelsea believe income will be at record levels in their next accounts, with an extra £85m earned from winning the Club World Cup, plus about £80m in television revenue from the Champions League.
From BBC
Stripping out one-time items, earnings were 39 cents a share.
"Compared with the pre-war months, the oil companies earned a daily excess profit of 75.3 million euros from the sale of diesel fuel to cars and trucks," the report said.
From Barron's
As the start of their earnings season approaches, investors are scrutinizing banks for their exposure to nonbank financial firms, and in particular the private funds that have seen a surge of redemptions.
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.
