Definition of 'earn'
Word forms: earns, earning, earned
1. transitive verb
If you earn money, you receive money in return for work that you do.
What a lovely way to earn a living.
2. transitive verb
If something earns money, it produces money as profit or interest.
...a bank account that earns little or no interest.
3. transitive verb
If you earn something such as praise, you get it because you deserve it.
Companies must earn a reputation for honesty.
4. Getting and losing work
COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Video: pronunciation of
earn
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
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
Examples of 'earn' in a sentence
earn
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Word lists with
earn
lakeQuick word challenge
Quiz Review
Question: 1
-
Score: 0 / 5
Which lakes, lochs, and lough am I?
a salt lake in SW China, in SE Tibet at an altitude of 4629 m (15 186 ft). Area: about 1800 sq km (700 sq miles)
Which lakes, lochs, and lough am I?
a lake in Russia, in SE Siberia: the largest freshwater lake in Eurasia and the deepest in the world. Greatest depth: over 1500 m (5000 ft). Area: about 33 670 sq km (13 000 sq miles)
Which lakes, lochs, and lough am I?
Lakelake in NW Russia, near the Finnish border: largest lake in Europe: c. 7,000 sq mi (18,130 sq km)
Which lakes, lochs, and lough am I?
a lake in Northern Ireland, in SW Co Antrim: the largest lake in the British Isles. Area: 388 sq km (150 sq miles)
Your score:
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
- 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
Quick word challenge
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Question: 1
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Score: 0 / 5
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Drag the correct answer into the box.
cord
chord
The door had been tied shut with a length of nylon .
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pail or pale?
Drag the correct answer into the box.
pail
pale
Ben put the down beside the vet.
cell or sell?
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began or begun?
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tee
tea
By the ninth he was in the lead.
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