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

• earnings
• gain(s)
• incoming(s)
• proceeds
• profit
• return
• revenue
• yield

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

For example, fund company T. Rowe Price suggests that someone at age 45 should have a retirement balance three times that of their current income, yet someone by age 55 should have a balance that's seven times that of income. Reach the writer at [e-mail]. —Russ Wiles, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2025

That's according to a new study from Allianz Life that surveyed 1,000 U.S. adults aged 25 years and older with annual incomes of $50,000 and above. —Anne Marie D. Lee, CBS News, 23 Apr. 2025

Tesla missed expectations on the top and bottom lines and reported a 71% plunge in net income from the year prior. —Chris Eudaily, CNBC, 23 Apr. 2025

Unfortunately, this reasonable attempt to balance higher tariffs with lower domestic taxes has been running into trouble, both with the difficulty of continuing the lower tax rates introduced in the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, and also some hints towards higher income taxes. —Nathan Lewis, Forbes.com, 23 Apr. 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