1
: not gained by labor, service, or skill
unearned income
2
: scored as a result of an error by the opposing team
an unearned run
Examples of unearned in a Sentence
Bank interest is regarded as unearned income.
Recent Examples on the Web
Making his second start since returning from a shoulder injury that cost him three months, Pablo Lopez gutted out five innings, allowing only two unearned runs on four hits and three walks, and Kody Clemens was 4 for 4 with three home runs and five RBIs for the Twins.
—
John Shipley, Twin Cities, 13 Sep. 2025
The game took an ugly turn for the Angels in the sixth, when reliever Brock Burke sailed a throw six feet over first baseman Oswald Peraza’s head on Thomas’s inning-opening comebacker, an error that led to an unearned run and a 9-1 A’s lead.
—Mike Digiovanna, Oc Register, 7 Sep. 2025
The 17th-round pick out of Ole Miss has so far allowed one unearned run through his first two professional appearances in Salem.
—Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 5 Sep. 2025
Skenes allowed an unearned run in the fourth.
—Jon Vankin, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unearned
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John Shipley, Twin Cities, 13 Sep. 2025
The game took an ugly turn for the Angels in the sixth, when reliever Brock Burke sailed a throw six feet over first baseman Oswald Peraza’s head on Thomas’s inning-opening comebacker, an error that led to an unearned run and a 9-1 A’s lead.
—Mike Digiovanna, Oc Register, 7 Sep. 2025
The 17th-round pick out of Ole Miss has so far allowed one unearned run through his first two professional appearances in Salem.
—Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 5 Sep. 2025
Skenes allowed an unearned run in the fourth.
—Jon Vankin, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unearned
Cite this Entry
“Unearned.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unearned. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
unearned
adjective
un·earned
ˌən-ˈərnd 
ˈən-
: not gained by labor, service, or skill
unearned income
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