economic rent

noun

: the return for the use of a factor in excess of the minimum required to bring forth its service

Examples of economic rent in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Instead, private ambitions to gain power and control over public resources and economic rents drive conflicts among the elite. Ali Reza Eshraghi, Foreign Affairs, 24 May 2023 Because so much of CEOs’ income constitutes economic rent, there would be no adverse impact on the economy’s output or on employment if CEOs earned less or were taxed more. Timothy Noah, The New Republic, 6 Oct. 2022 Thus, the East India Company acquired by accident the ultimate economic rent — a secure, unearned income stream. Iain Murray, National Review, 2 Nov. 2019 Daniel Leff: In media and entertainment, there’s changing consumer behaviors, and incumbents are stuck with the gravitational pull of legacy behaviors, trying to protect historic excessive economic rent. Joe Pompeo, The Hive, 5 Dec. 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'economic rent.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1889, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of economic rent was in 1889

Dictionary Entries Near economic rent

Cite this Entry

“Economic rent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/economic%20rent. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

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