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
That includes allowing an unearned run in two-thirds of an inning as part of last week’s win over the Padres in a bullpen game.
—
Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 June 2025
Costly errors by Tylor Megill and reliever José Castillo led to four unearned runs in the Mets’ 8-4 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on a soggy Saturday in Queens.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 15 June 2025
Colorado couldn’t solve Holmes early on, but the Rockies got an unearned run off him in the third after Holmes’ throwing error enabled Ryan Ritter to get to third.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 15 June 2025
The Wildcats needed both because Normal (36-5) scored an unearned run in the bottom of the eighth.
—Steve Reaven, Chicago Tribune, 14 June 2025
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Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 June 2025
Costly errors by Tylor Megill and reliever José Castillo led to four unearned runs in the Mets’ 8-4 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on a soggy Saturday in Queens.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 15 June 2025
Colorado couldn’t solve Holmes early on, but the Rockies got an unearned run off him in the third after Holmes’ throwing error enabled Ryan Ritter to get to third.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 15 June 2025
The Wildcats needed both because Normal (36-5) scored an unearned run in the bottom of the eighth.
—Steve Reaven, Chicago Tribune, 14 June 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 1 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
unearned
adjective
un·earned
ˌən-ˈərnd 
ˈən-
: not gained by labor, service, or skill
unearned income
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