51Թ

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View synonyms for

earn

1

[ urn ]

verb (used with object)

  1. to gain or get in return for one's labor or service:

    to earn one's living.

    Synonyms: , , ,

  2. to merit as compensation, as for service; deserve:

    to receive more than one has earned.

  3. to acquire through merit:

    to earn a reputation for honesty.

  4. to gain as due return or profit:

    Savings accounts earn interest.

  5. to bring about or cause deservedly:

    His fair dealing earned our confidence.



verb (used without object)

  1. to gain income:

    securities that earn on a quarterly basis.

earn

2

[ urn ]

verb (used without object)

Obsolete.
  1. to grieve.

earn

/ ɜː /

verb

  1. to gain or be paid (money or other payment) in return for work or service
  2. tr to acquire, merit, or deserve through behaviour or action

    he has earned a name for duplicity

  3. tr (of securities, investments, etc) to gain (interest, return, profit, etc)
“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
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Other 51Թ Forms

  • 𲹰İ noun
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of earn1

First recorded before 900; Middle English ern(i)en Old English earnian; akin to Old High German ŧ “to earn, harvest”

Origin of earn2

First recorded in 1570–80; perhaps variant of yearn
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of earn1

Old English earnian; related to Old High German ŧ to reap, Old Saxon asna salary, tithe
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Idioms and Phrases

  • penny saved is a penny earned
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Synonym Study

See gain 1.
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Look at Hinch now: The Tigers earned their first playoff berth in 10 years last season, with a fraying rotation held together by Skubal and duct tape.

From

He earned his first money as a six-year-old, bought his first shares at 11 and filed his first tax return at 13.

From

And these things don’t count her musical achievements: Cher’s now the only solo artist ever to earn a No. 1 hit on a Billboard chart for the last seven decades.

From

Hers is a success that’s earned, but that doesn’t mean it’s not lonely.

From

Taxes on Social Security are based on something called “combined income,” which is your adjusted gross income plus any nontaxable interest you earned plus half of your Social Security income.

From

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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.

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earmuffearned income