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
In general, the kiddie tax always applies to children with unearned income under age 18.
—
Jessica Dickler,greg Iacurci, CNBC, 3 June 2026
Smith suffered the loss for the Sea Lions, giving up the unearned run on three hits and a walk with a strikeout in two innings.
—Bill Center, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 June 2026
Amelia Campbell threw a complete game for seventh-seeded Simley, and kept the contest knotted at zeros until the bottom of the third, when Byron broke through with a pair of unearned runs scored on a single by Kaydence Fjerstad.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 2 June 2026
The senior hurler, who is committed to Union College, went the distance, going six innings while having 15 strikeouts and giving up two runs, both unearned, on three hits and two walks.
—Erik Anderson, Boston Herald, 2 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for unearned
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Jessica Dickler,greg Iacurci, CNBC, 3 June 2026
Smith suffered the loss for the Sea Lions, giving up the unearned run on three hits and a walk with a strikeout in two innings.
—Bill Center, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 June 2026
Amelia Campbell threw a complete game for seventh-seeded Simley, and kept the contest knotted at zeros until the bottom of the third, when Byron broke through with a pair of unearned runs scored on a single by Kaydence Fjerstad.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 2 June 2026
The senior hurler, who is committed to Union College, went the distance, going six innings while having 15 strikeouts and giving up two runs, both unearned, on three hits and two walks.
—Erik Anderson, Boston Herald, 2 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for unearned
Cite this Entry
“Unearned.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unearned. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
unearned
adjective
un·earned
ˌən-ˈərnd 
ˈən-
: not gained by labor, service, or skill
unearned income
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