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 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 Olay’s Micro-Sculpting Serum earned the Gellar stamp of approval thanks to its impressive ingredient lineup. — Kyra Surgent, InStyle, 10 Aug. 2026 Among the treats kids asked for by name, Little Debbie snacks and Simple Mills Chocolate Brownie Sweet Thins earned mentions by parents. — Sierra Leone Starks, Parents, 10 Aug. 2026 Ballard earned his bachelor’s degree in secondary education from Kansas in 2003. — Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 9 Aug. 2026 Jack Winnay earned a promotion to Portland in late June, and is handling the higher level well. — Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 9 Aug. 2026 Qutob earned his medical degree from Damascus University in Syria. — Post-Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 9 Aug. 2026 Johnson earned third-team All-America honors from FCS Football Central during his time at Alabama State, and earned second-team All-Conference USA honors while at Western Kentucky. — Rob Reischel, Forbes.com, 9 Aug. 2026 Earlier this month, Abdul-Mateen earned an Emmy nomination for his lead performance as Wonder Man. — Glenn Garner, Deadline, 2 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
  • No away team had won in the previous 14 meetings between the clubs across all competitions.
    — Kyle Foley, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Aug. 2026
  • Washington decidedthat the argument had already been won and stopped making it.
    — James K. Glassman, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of won
Verb
  • Clearly this budding naturalist deserved a flower in his name.
    — Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Cracker Barrel had already committed substantial capital to a transformation without proving which changes customers wanted, which investments would improve restaurant economics, and which businesses still deserved a place inside the company.
    — Jim Osman, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of deserved
Verb
  • Shares have jumped 48% year to date and gained 2% in the premarket.
    — Liz Napolitano, CNBC, 11 Aug. 2026
  • In July, OpenAI disclosed that an autonomous AI agent escaped the boundaries of a cybersecurity evaluation and ultimately gained unauthorized access to Hugging Face's production infrastructure.
    — Emil Sayegh, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of gained
Verb
  • The 15-minute video, which garnered more than half a million views, resonated with others who had also lost money, anonymously detailing their own debts in thousands of comments.
    — Stephanie Yang, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Hilton rose to fame as a popular, and notorious, gossip blogger in the 2000s, which garnered both millions of readers as well as pushback from some celebrities who felt his coverage was mean-spirited.
    — Conor Murray, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of garnered
Verb
  • Other indigenous peoples know it as the Corn Moon, Harvest Moon and Ricing Moon, to reflect the time when various crops are ready to be reaped and collected.
    — Anthony Wood, Space.com, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Analysts on Wall Street reaped praise on Palantir Technologies for its second-quarter report, stating that the company is building a successful strategy on artificial intelligence.
    — Davis Giangiulio, CNBC, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of reaped
Verb
  • The lawsuit obtained by the Dayton Daily News claims that Beaver’s Mini Mart’s logo infringes on the one used by Buc-ee’s.
    — Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Public Health Watch, Kentucky Public Radio and NPR obtained a draft of the NIOSH research letter before publication.
    — Howard Berkes, NPR, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of obtained
Verb
  • Navy officials said assembly would fall to Newport News Shipbuilding in Virginia, where aircraft carriers and some submarines are made.
    — Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Donations can be made online by visiting the foundation's website.
    — Tori Mason, CBS News, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of made
Verb
  • And found our own references, got into it, got the concept down, looked at some different artists.
    — Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Lesnar got revenge in the second meeting, thereby making the rubber match necessary.
    — Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of got

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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 13 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on earned

Nglish: Translation of earned for Spanish Speakers

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