earn
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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to gain or get in return for one's labor or service.
to earn one's living.
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to merit as compensation, as for service; deserve.
to receive more than one has earned.
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to acquire through merit.
to earn a reputation for honesty.
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to gain as due return or profit.
Savings accounts earn interest.
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to bring about or cause deservedly.
His fair dealing earned our confidence.
verb (used without object)
verb (used without object)
verb
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to gain or be paid (money or other payment) in return for work or service
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(tr) to acquire, merit, or deserve through behaviour or action
he has earned a name for duplicity
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(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.
The German sector trades at 38 times forecast earnings, up from 20 times at the start of last year and far above the 15 times of the German market as a whole.
The higher rates have already shown up in earnings.
From Barron's
The rotation into European, Japanese, and Chinese stocks we have seen over the past year won’t be supported if these energy import-dependent manufacturing states face negative surprises to corporate earnings and margins.
From Barron's
He suggested many patrollers earn their main income through offseason jobs like construction or outdoor guiding.
He has previously defended himself from the nepo kid label by saying it was "an unfair misinterpretation" and his father "returned every rupee earned from public service to the community".
From BBC
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.
