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Synonyms

income

American  
[in-kuhm] / ˈɪn kʌm /

noun

  1. revenue received for goods or services, or from other sources, as rents or investments.

    For years, her only source of income was the small number of stocks her father left her.

  2. the money, or amount of money, received from one’s employment.

    a household with three incomes;

    a healthcare worker with an income that hasn’t increased in five years.
    Synonyms:
    earnings, wages, salary, return, gains, annuity, interest
    Antonyms:
    expenditure, outgo

  3. something that comes in as an addition or increase, especially by chance.

  4. Archaic. a coming in.

income British  
/ ˈɪnkəm, ˈɪnkʌm /

noun

  1. the amount of monetary or other returns, either earned or unearned, accruing over a given period of time

  2. receipts; revenue

  3. rare an inflow or influx

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
income Cultural  

  1. The amount of money received during a period of time in exchange for labor or services, from the sale of goods or property, or as a profit from financial investments.

Other Word Forms

  • incomeless adjective

Etymology

Origin of income

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English: literally, “that which has come in,” noun use of incomen (past participle of incomen “to come in”), Old English incuman; in, come

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.

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

Workers who stayed in the same job saw their incomes rise 4.5% in the 12 months ending in March — the same rate as the past three months, ADP said.

From MarketWatch

Growth drivers include increasing chronic kidney disease prevalence, better affordability supported by public health programs, and rising disposable incomes.

From The Wall Street Journal

When asked if support could go beyond people who receive benefits, Reeves said: "We're looking at ways in which we can support people based on their household income."

From BBC

"Everyone understands what women really want: social guarantees, an adequate income, the ability to afford housing, and, most importantly, tranquillity and security," she said.

From Barron's

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.