income

noun

in·​come ˈin-ˌkəm 

 also  ˈin-kəm,

 or  ˈiŋ-kəm

1

: a gain or recurrent benefit usually measured in money that derives from capital or labor

also : the amount of such gain received in a period of time

has an income of $30,000 a year

2

: a coming in : entrance, influx

fluctuations in the nutrient income of a body of water

Synonyms

• revenue
• profit

Examples of income in a Sentence

Any income from investments must be reported.

Farming is his main source of income.

Even on two incomes, we're having a hard time keeping up with our bills.

He earns a good income as a consultant.

What was the company's annual income?

Recent Examples on the Web

The goal would be to price the homes around $200,000 to make the homes affordable to buy for those who earn about 60% of the area income, according to Shawn Wallace, the church's senior pastor. —Arkansas Online, 21 Oct. 2025

About two-thirds of new vehicle purchases are made by people whose household income is above the median, according to Buckberg. —Michael Wayland, CNBC, 20 Oct. 2025

Chapters on finding employment lawyers, securing health care, minimizing expenses, and locating hole-patching income sources alternate with stories of high-profile women who lost their jobs, including Lisa Kudrow, Katie Couric, and Oprah. —Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2025

Milwaukee advocates have argued for-profit colleges are known to market toward low-income students, veterans, students of color and others. —Cleo Krejci, jsonline.com, 20 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing income

• discretionary income
• disposable income
• income account
• income bond
• income tax
• (income) tax return
• low-income housing
• national income
• negative income tax

Rhymes for income

• become
• checksum
• humdrum
• outcome
• succumb
• therefrom
• wherefrom
• abomasum
• bum
• chum
• come
• crum

Kids Definition

income

noun

in·​come ˈin-ˌkəm 

: a gain usually measured in money that comes in from labor, business, or property

Legal Definition

income

noun

in·​come

: a gain or recurrent benefit usually measured in money that derives from capital or labor

also : the amount of such gain received in a period of time

an income of $20,000 a year