Word forms: 3rd person singular presenttense earns, present participle earning, past tense, past participle earned
1. verb
If you earn money, you receive money in return for work that you do.
Charlie was earning eight pounds, I was earning five. [VERB noun]
What a lovely way to earn a living. [VERB noun]
The dancers can earn anything between £80 and £130 for each session. [VERB noun]
She was always out earning. [VERB]
Synonyms: be paid, make, get, receive More Synonyms of earn
2. verb
If something earns money, it produces money as profit or interest.
...a current account which earns little or no interest. [VERB noun]
We buy everything abroad with the money earned from oil imports. [VERB noun]
3. verb
If you earn something such as praise, you get it because you deserve it.
Companies must earn a reputation for honesty. [VERB noun]
I think that's earned him very high admiration. [VERB noun noun]
Synonyms: deserve, win, gain, attain More Synonyms of earn
4. to earn a crust
earn in British English
(ɜːn)
verbWord forms: earns, earning, earned or earnt
1.
to gain or be paid (money or other payment) in return for work or service
2. (transitive)
to acquire, merit, or deserve through behaviour or action
he has earned a name for duplicity
3. (transitive)
(of securities, investments, etc) to gain (interest, return, profit, etc)
Word origin
Old English earnian; related to Old High German arnēn to reap, Old Saxon asna salary, tithe
earn in American English
(ɜrn)
verb transitive
1.
to receive (salary, wages, etc.) for one's labor or service
2.
to get or deserve as a result of something one has done
3.
to receive (interest, dividends, etc.) as a return
Derived forms
earner (ˈearner)
noun
Word origin
ME ernen < OE earnian, to gain, labor for, lit., to harvest, akin to Ger ernte, harvest, OHG arnōn, to bring to harvest < IE base *es-en, summer, harvest time
More idioms containing
earn
earn a crust
earn your corn
earn your spurs
Examples of 'earn' in a sentence
earn
Profits earned by the owners of capital need to be recorded where they are earned.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
Users earn money by sharing products with friends through their existing social networks.
The Sun (2016)
The importance of working and earning money was driven into me at an early age.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
This leads to savers earning almost no interest on their cash balances.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Much of the money he earned went to bail out his dad.
The Sun (2016)
She works hard and earns a good salary but is struggling to get on the property ladder.
The Sun (2017)
Bank current accounts have been the way to earn high interest in recent years.
The Sun (2016)
In return, she earned the chance to bring a river back to life.
Smithsonian Mag (2017)
Paying your dues You must file a return if you earn:?
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Train companies do not earn particularly generous profit margins - about 4 per cent over the past ten years.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
This also gives suppliers a strong incentive to maximise sales to earn a decent return.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Yet simply earning a profit is an incomplete organizational objective.
Christianity Today (2000)
They deserve to earn more than young people.
The Sun (2014)
It is not about me going abroad to earn a quick buck to set myself up.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
But its record suggests it will continue to earn enhanced returns by adopting the proactive approach.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
They represent the means by which the company earns its profits.
Harrison, John Finance for the Non-Financial Manager (1989)
His work has earned him the respect of regulators.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
That earned him a deserved dressing down from the trial judge.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Attention is redirected towards the returns being earned.
Tom Cannon Basic Marketing. Principles and Practice (1986)
Investments earn less and are less profitable.
Hirst, Paul After Thatcher (1989)
Good luck to them if they work hard and earn their money.
The Sun (2011)
Despite his own challenges he is determined to work to earn money for his car.
The Sun (2009)
When are we going to be mature enough to recognise that footballers earn their money from free exchange?
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Many prefer to keep their cash as long as possible rather than let the energy giants earn interest on it.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
It earned him a deserved booking.
The Sun (2012)
That is why some Romanians are keen to look for earning opportunities abroad.
The Sun (2013)
Instead of wasting money on rent, why not earn money by renting rooms to other students?
The Sun (2014)
If you are prepared to take a little more risk, you can earn a decent return.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
If a new entrant buys an existing monopoly, will the new entrant earn monopoly profits?
Miller, Roger LeRoy & Fishe, Raymond P. H. Microeconomics: Price Theory in Practice (1995)
If we need to earn money from touring, we will.
The Sun (2010)
If your money has not earned enough interest to cover the penalty, it can be taken out of the capital.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
You pay tax on interest earned by your savings, but not on the interest saved by offsetting savings against your mortgage.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Most importantly, any income earned abroad must stay abroad to be tax-free.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Word lists with
earn
lake
In other languages
earn
British English: earn /ɜːn/ VERB
If you earn money, you receive it in return for work that you do.
She earns a good salary.
American English: earn
Arabic: يَكْتَسِبُ
Brazilian Portuguese: ganhar
Chinese: 挣得
Croatian: zaraditi
Czech: vydělat
Danish: tjene
Dutch: verdienen
European Spanish: ganar salario
Finnish: ansaita rahaa
French: gagner salaire
German: verdienen Geld
Greek: κερδίζω αποκτώ
Italian: guadagnare
Japanese: 稼ぐ
Korean: 벌다
Norwegian: tjene
Polish: zarobić
European Portuguese: ganhar
Romanian: a câștiga
Russian: зарабатывать
Latin American Spanish: ganar obtener un sueldo
Swedish: tjäna få inkomst
Thai: ได้รับ
Turkish: kazanmak
Ukrainian: заробляти
Vietnamese: kiếm được
All related terms of 'earn'
re-earn
to earn again
earn respect
If you have respect for someone, you have a good opinion of them.
earn a crust
to earn enough money to live on
earn a reward
A reward is something that you are given, for example because you have behaved well , worked hard, or provided a service to the community.
earn your corn
to be successful and therefore justify the money that has been spent, for example on training
earn your spurs
to have shown that you are capable of doing something well , and that you can be relied on to do it well in the future
pay as you earn
a method of paying tax in which the tax is taken off your wages before they are paid to you
save as you earn
(in Britain) a savings scheme which offers a tax-free bonus and allows employees to buy shares in the company they work for at a fixed price
earn one's daily bread
to earn one's living
to earn a crust earn one's crust
If you earn a crust , you earn enough money to live on, especially by doing work you would prefer not to do.
win one's spurs/earn one's spurs
If you win your spurs or earn your spurs , you achieve a particular status by proving that you can do something skilfully.
Chinese translation of 'earn'
earn
(əːn)
vt
[salary, money]挣(掙)得 (zhèngdé)
(Comm)[interest]生利 (shēnglì)
[praise, hatred, reputation]博得 (bódé)
to earn one's or a living谋(謀)生 (móushēng)
he's earned a rest/reward他得到了休息/奖(獎)励(勵) (tā dédàole xiūxi/jiǎnglì)
1 (verb)
Definition
to gain or be paid (money) in return for work
The dancers can earn up to £130 for each session.
Synonyms
be paid
make
How much money did we make?
get
He gets a pitifully low salary.
receive
I received your letter.
draw
He draws two conclusions from this.
gain
The company didn't disclose how much it expects to gain from the deal.
net
The state government expects to net about 1.46 billion rupees.
collect
bring in
gross
So far the films have grossed nearly £290 million.
procure
It was difficult to procure food and other daily necessitites.
clear
The company cleared over £57 million profit last year.
get paid
take home
2 (verb)
Definition
to acquire or deserve through one's behaviour or action
Companies must earn a reputation for honesty.
Synonyms
deserve
The elderly should be treated with the respect that they deserve.
win
The first correct entry will win the prize.
gain
Passing exams is no longer enough to gain a place at university.
attain
He's halfway to attaining his pilot's licence.
justify
merit
Such ideas merit careful consideration.
warrant
The allegations are serious enough to warrant an investigation.
be entitled to
reap
We are not in this to reap immense financial rewards.
be worthy of
a cause which is worthy of our support
Additional synonyms
in the sense of attain
Definition
to manage to do or get (something)
He's halfway to attaining his pilot's licence.
Synonyms
obtain,
get,
win,
reach,
effect,
land (informal),
score (slang),
complete,
gain,
achieve,
earn,
secure,
realize,
acquire,
fulfil,
accomplish,
grasp,
reap,
procure
in the sense of be worthy of
a cause which is worthy of our support
Synonyms
deserve,
rate,
earn,
justify,
merit,
qualify for,
warrant,
have a right to,
be deserving of,
have a claim to or on
in the sense of clear
Definition
to make or gain (money) as profit
The company cleared over £57 million profit last year.