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

The scholarships would be available for students from families with incomes up to 300 percent of their area’s median gross income. —Lexi Lonas Cochran, The Hill, 16 May 2025

People with low incomes have been particularly impacted by these laws, the news organizations found. —Ginny Monk, Hartford Courant, 16 May 2025

Also see: $218,000 income needed to buy a California home, up 82% since 2019 The bill wouldn’t delete any of the current rules, which are widely considered to be among the most stringent of any state’s. —Ben Christopher, Mercury News, 16 May 2025

As the range of near-term outcomes widens and becomes hard to predict, the company is withholding second-quarter operating income growth and earnings per share forecasts, CFO Rainey said. —Ananya Mariam Rajesh, USA Today, 16 May 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