earned; earning; earns
1
a
: to receive as return for effort and especially for work done or services rendered
b
: to bring in by way of return
bonds earning 10 percent interest
2
a
: to come to be duly worthy of or entitled or suited to
she earned a promotion
b
: to make worthy of or obtain for
the suggestion earned him a promotion
earner
noun
Examples of earn in a Sentence
Verb (1)
during my teen years I earned pocket money by mowing lawns
you've earned the afternoon off after all that hard work
Recent Examples on the Web
Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
Trump’s crypto empire has earned him $1 billion-plus so far.
—Lee Clifford, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2025
He could also be seen nodding his approval after the dance — and earning a thunderous round of excited shouts from the audience.
—Stephanie Wenger, PEOPLE, 15 Oct. 2025
His sense of decency and fairness has earned him not only admiration, but genuine affection from everyone.
—Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 15 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for earn
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Verb
Then Vontaze Burfict earned a flag for his hit on Antonio Brown … and Adam Jones drew a second personal foul for scuffling with assistant coach Joey Porter.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
Trump’s crypto empire has earned him $1 billion-plus so far.
—Lee Clifford, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2025
He could also be seen nodding his approval after the dance — and earning a thunderous round of excited shouts from the audience.
—Stephanie Wenger, PEOPLE, 15 Oct. 2025
His sense of decency and fairness has earned him not only admiration, but genuine affection from everyone.
—Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 15 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for earn
Cite this Entry
“Earn.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/earn. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.
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