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earned

verb

past tense of earn
1
as in won
to receive as return for effort during my teen years I earned pocket money by mowing lawns

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in deserved
to be or make worthy of (as a reward or punishment) you've earned the afternoon off after all that hard work

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of earned Henderson earned his second interception of the night on the final play. — Matt Murschel, The Orlando Sentinel, 20 Sep. 2026 His comments earned him a response from White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson. — Payton Turkeltaub, Variety, 20 Sep. 2026 Gray, a Democrat, took the lead in the June primary with roughly 42% of the vote, while the Republican vote was split between Lincoln and entrepreneur Vin Kruttiventi, who earned approximately 28 and 15 percent, respectively. — Sofia Williams, Sacbee.com, 20 Sep. 2026 Yilmaz earned his bachelor’s degree from Boğaziçi University in his native Turkey before moving to the US. — Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 20 Sep. 2026 New York ace Cam Schlittler gave up three runs — but only one earned — over six innings. — ABC News, 20 Sep. 2026 Its success has earned the app a valuation of more than $100 million, according to the company’s PR and Communications lead, Aida Kaddan. — Mustafa Qadri, CNN Money, 20 Sep. 2026 Luken Baker, Grant Richardson, Tyler Gentry and Hudson Head — while Tyler Myrick earned the win and Durbin Feltman the save. — The Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 20 Sep. 2026 Her Eras Tour special earned five nominations this year but didn't win any. — Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 6 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for earned
  1. won
  2. deserved
  3. gained
  4. garnered
  5. reaped
  6. obtained
  7. made
  8. got
Verb
  • As someone who still brings up how James Hinchcliffe and Sharna Burgess should’ve won season 23 in casual conversation, I am so pumped Sharna is back in the ballroom after four years.
    — Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Laleh Marzban, who won Best Actress in Venice Film Festival’s Orizzonti sidebar, has become the subject of a harsh smear campaign by Islamic Republic state media over comments in her acceptance speech dedicating the prize to the women of Iran.
    — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of won
Verb
  • And it was richly deserved, according to Purdue University, which created the international award and named it after perhaps its most famous alumnus.
    — Mike Wall, Space.com, 16 Sep. 2026
  • That entire time, Joe Biden was attentive and showed the respect that the victims who died 25 years ago deserved.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of deserved
Verb
  • The state AGs and the WGA filed suit in July after federal regulators had approved the deal, and gained surprising traction in a series of early court rulings, giving opponents of the merger hope it would be curtailed or even fully blocked.
    — Dade Hayes, Deadline, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Google said on Friday that its Gemini model had hacked three other companies back in May, the first time the search giant has disclosed that one of its models autonomously gained access to third-party computer systems without permission.
    — Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of gained
Verb
  • Then came Amodei’s essay over the weekend, which garnered support from OpenAI’s Sam Altman and S paceX ‘s Elon Musk, taking the debate up another notch.
    — Zev Fima, CNBC, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Disney has cut a deal with Like Nastya, which has garnered more than 450 billion views across its 25 YouTube channels, with more than 450 million current subscribers.
    — Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of garnered
Verb
  • All three are allegedly part of Ghost Town, a notorious gang from West Oakland that made headlines last year for a brazen high-end robbery spree that reaped hundreds of thousands of dollars and left victims traumatized, according to court records.
    — Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 2 Sep. 2026
  • The company reaped about $900 million with its initial public offering.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of reaped
Verb
  • In January 2023, about 30 people, supported by a walkers’ rights charity called the Ramblers Association, challenged the closure and obtained formal recognition of the public right-of-way from the West Berkshire District Council.
    — Stefania Conrieri, Vanity Fair, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Comer died May 28 at UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center, according to a death certificate filed with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health that was obtained by The Hollywood Reporter.
    — Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of obtained
Verb
  • Original moldings, door knobs, and wood paneling have been preserved, but spaces have been shaped for contemporary use including made disabled-accessible.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez took aim at New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft after Macklemore was forced off Ed Sheeran’s tour following onstage comments the rapper made in support of Palestinians amid Israel’s war in Gaza.
    — Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of made
Verb
  • One thing that has changed since the beginning of the charter is the relationship between cabinmates Kat and Gen, who used to be close until Gen got a little too comfortable.
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2026
  • In 2016 Erickson’s Severance pilot made an annual list of best unproduced genre screenplays by BloodList—where other successes such as Bird Box (2018) and Don’t Worry Darling (2022) got their start.
    — Jordana Rosenfeld, Encyclopedia Britannica, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of got

Browse Nearby Words

earn
earned
earnest
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Cite this Entry

“Earned.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/earned. Accessed 24 Sep. 2026.

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