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

Relevance

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 The university’s most recent tax filing shows Peavy earned $594,789 in compensation in 2024. — Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 17 Aug. 2026 Maeda has earned a reputation for relentless pressing and work rate. — Cerys Jones, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2026 Three and a half months ago, a dramatic late comeback at Snapdragon Stadium earned the Los Angeles Football Club its only point against San Diego FC. — Josh Gross, Daily News, 16 Aug. 2026 Online, the space quickly earned comparisons to her own personal HomeGoods store — a fitting take for anyone familiar with the home decor retailer, where shoppers browse a constantly changing selection of furniture, decorations and other home finds. — Tereza Shkurtaj, PEOPLE, 16 Aug. 2026 Reds reliever Tejay Antone (2-2) gave up two hits and two runs, one earned. — ABC News, 16 Aug. 2026 Kodai Senga earned his third save by striking out two in the ninth. — Cbs New York Team, CBS News, 16 Aug. 2026 Chicago earned these gains by treating the standards as more than a compliance exercise. — Michael Casserly, Chicago Tribune, 16 Aug. 2026 Substitute Prisca Chilufya took a pass from substitute Evelyn Shores and scored the equalizer in the 72nd minute as Angel City FC earned a point in the standings with a 2-2 tie with the Reign late Sunday night at Lumen Field in Seattle. — News Service Reports, Oc Register, 10 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for earned
  1. won
  2. deserved
  3. gained
  4. garnered
  5. reaped
  6. obtained
  7. made
  8. got
Verb
  • Vollering won the stage regardless, but missed out on the title by just four seconds.
    — Jessica Hopkins, New York Times, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Curry won the 2023 American Century Classic, a premier celebrity tournament that includes many pro athletes.
    — Omar Jimenez, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of won
Verb
  • Taco Bell says strong demand in subsequent test markets helped convince the company the items deserved a national rollout.
    — Amber Love Bond, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Many critics remain skeptical that this artist’s debut, or any artist’s debut, deserved to be in the Louvre.
    — Marisa Meltzer, Vanity Fair, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of deserved
Verb
  • Photo courtesy of Atlanta Police Department Police said Brown had gained the mother's trust over about a year.
    — CBS News Atlanta Digital Team, CBS News, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Postpartum wristbands gained traction across the country through health awareness campaigns fueled by social media posts and evening news segments.
    — Andrew Jones, CNN Money, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of gained
Verb
  • Shelton cruised from there, mixing his primary weapons in with athletic defense that garnered big reactions from the Montreal crowd and deflated Nakashima even more.
    — Ava Wallace, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026
  • The young man has garnered immense public support rarely seen for a defendant accused of murder, amid frustration felt by many Americans over exorbitant health insurance costs.
    — Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of garnered
Verb
  • As the fungus grows, the benefits of a symbiotic relationship are reaped at the tree’s expense.
    — Jack Bantock, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2026
  • NBCUniversal’s Telemundo and Peacock, which aired the Spanish language broadcast of the games, also reaped strong viewership and ad dollars.
    — Lillian Rizzo, CNBC, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of reaped
Verb
  • Court records also show a woman obtained a domestic violence restraining order against Iriarte-Valdez early last year and that he was later accused of violating it.
    — Maddie White, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026
  • The filing, obtained by Rolling Stone, claims Jones took footage Combs was shooting for his own documentary.
    — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of obtained
Verb
  • The project is being made in association with Hathiramani Commercial Ventures and co-produced with investor and entrepreneur Manish Hathiramani, who marks his producing debut with the show.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 13 Aug. 2026
  • The press had also waned, likely through fatigue, by the time a host of substitutions, including Mbeumo, Amad, and Zirkzee were made on the hour mark.
    — Cerys Jones, New York Times, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of made
Verb
  • No inside linebacker got more work on Friday than Murdock, whose 47 snaps were 13 more than any other player who saw the field defensively for the Broncos.
    — Nick Kosmider, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Wyatt Olds made his major league debut for Boston and got his first career strikeout.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of got

Browse Nearby Words

earn
earned
earnest
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Earned.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/earned. Accessed 20 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on earned

Nglish: Translation of earned for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of divulge

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Is “GIF” Pronounced “Jiff” or “Giff”?

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All