revenue

noun

rev·​e·​nue ˈre-və-ˌnü 

-ˌnyü

often attributive

1

: the total income produced by a given source

a property expected to yield a large annual revenue

2

: the gross income returned by an investment

3

: the yield of sources of income (such as taxes) that a political unit (such as a nation or state) collects and receives into the treasury for public use

4

: a government department concerned with the collection of the national revenue

Synonyms

• income
• profit
• proceeds
• earnings
• return
• yield
• incoming(s)

Examples of revenue in a Sentence

The factory lost revenue because of the strike by the workers.

The firm is looking for another source of revenue.

Government officials have reported a decrease in revenue.

state and federal tax revenues

Recent Examples on the Web

Liberty posted third-quarter net income of $43 million, down 42% year on year, while quarterly revenues fell 17%. —Jordan Blum, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2025

The most recent edition of Deloitte’s Football Money League, ranking clubs by revenue for the 2023-24 season, was led by Real Madrid, but Barcelona (sixth) and Atletico Madrid (12th) were the only other Spanish clubs in the top 30. —Oliver Kay, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2025

But that was $322 million less than a year ago, and the revenue loss caused a direct hit to the company’s bottom line. —Chris Isidore, CNN Money, 22 Oct. 2025

David Swanson | Reuters Tesla reported a 12% increase in third quarter revenue on Wednesday following two straight periods of declines. —Lora Kolodny, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, return, revenue, from Anglo-French, from revenir to return, from Latin revenire, from re- + venire to come — more at come

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing revenue

• revenue bond
• revenue cutter
• revenue stamp
• revenue tariff

Rhymes for revenue

• accrue
• ado
• ainu
• aircrew
• airscrew
• anew
• askew
• baboo
• babu
• bamboo
• beaucoup
• bijou

Kids Definition

revenue

noun

rev·​e·​nue ˈrev-ə-ˌn(y)ü 

1

: the income produced by a given source

2

: the income that a government collects for public use

Legal Definition

revenue

noun

rev·​e·​nue ˈre-və-ˌnü, -ˌnyü 

often attributive

1

: the total income produced by a given source

a property expected to yield a large annual revenue

2

: the gross income returned by an investment

3

: the yield of sources of income (as taxes) that a political unit (as a nation or state) collects and receives into the treasury for public use

4

: a government department concerned with the collection of national revenue