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
Samantha Leal, Travel + Leisure, 29 Oct. 2025
Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but sources confirmed that Bright earned a substantial raise.
—Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 29 Oct. 2025
Exit polls showed Trump gained a slightly larger share of the electorate of those earning less than $50,000 than then-Vice President Kamala Harris did and captured a majority of voters who have never earned a college degree.
—Zach Halaschak, The Washington Examiner, 29 Oct. 2025
The film's production cost around $26 million and earned just $637,355 at the box office — a catastrophic flop.
—Ashley Hume, FOXNews.com, 29 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for earn
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Verb
This silk scarf earns its keep a dozen times over.
—Samantha Leal, Travel + Leisure, 29 Oct. 2025
Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but sources confirmed that Bright earned a substantial raise.
—Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 29 Oct. 2025
Exit polls showed Trump gained a slightly larger share of the electorate of those earning less than $50,000 than then-Vice President Kamala Harris did and captured a majority of voters who have never earned a college degree.
—Zach Halaschak, The Washington Examiner, 29 Oct. 2025
The film's production cost around $26 million and earned just $637,355 at the box office — a catastrophic flop.
—Ashley Hume, FOXNews.com, 29 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 30 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share