Definition of 'earn'
Word forms: 3rd person singular present
tense 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]
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
Companies must earn a reputation for honesty.
[VERB noun]
I think that's earned him very high admiration.
[VERB noun noun]
COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Video: pronunciation of
earn
Word Frequency
earn in British English
verbWord forms: earns, earning, earned or earnt
2. (transitive)
he has earned a name for duplicity
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word origin
Old English earnian; related to Old High German arnēn to reap, Old Saxon asna salary, tithe
Word Frequency
earn in American English
verb transitive
3.
to receive (interest,
dividends, etc.) as a return
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
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
Example sentences including
earn
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Word lists with
earn
lakeQuick word challenge
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Question: 1
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Which lakes, lochs, and lough am I?
Lakeshallow saltwater lake in SE La.: 625 sq mi (1,619 sq km)
Which lakes, lochs, and lough am I?
Lakelake in EC Africa, on the border of Democratic Republic of the Congo & Rwanda: c. 1,100 sq mi (2,849 sq km)
Which lakes, lochs, and lough am I?
Lakelake in SE Fla. at the N edge of the Everglades: 700 sq mi (1,813 sq km): main element of Okeechobee Waterway, a system of connected canals, rivers, & lakes across the Fla. peninsula
Which lakes, lochs, and lough am I?
a lake in W China, in Qinghai province in the NE Tibetan Highlands at an altitude of about 3000 m (10 000 ft): the largest lake in China. Area: about 4100 sq km (1600 sq miles)
Which lakes, lochs, and lough am I?
a lake in NW England, in the Lake District: provides part of Manchester's water supply; extended by damming from 4 km (2.5 miles) to 6 km (4 miles)
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Trends of
earn
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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
Nearby words of
earn
Related terms of
earn
Source
Definition of earn from the
Collins English Dictionary
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a herring
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