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earn

Pronunciation: /əːn/
Translate earn | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of earn

verb

[with object]
  • 1obtain (money) in return for labour or services:he earns his living as a lorry driver [with two objects]:earn yourself a few pounds
  • [with two objects] (of an activity) cause (someone) to obtain (money):this latest win earned them $50,000 in prize money
  • (of capital invested) gain (money) as interest or profit: the dollars can be placed on deposit and earn interest
  • 2gain deservedly in return for one’s behaviour or achievements:through the years she has earned affection and esteem

Phrases

earn one's corn

British informal put in a lot of effort to show that one deserves one’s wages.

earn one's keep

work in return for food and accommodation.
be worth the time or money spent on one: his media advisers were earning their keep

Phrasal Verbs

earn something out

(of an author, book, recording artist, etc.) generate sufficient income through sales to equal the amount paid in an advance or royalty.

Origin:

Old English earnian, of West Germanic origin, from a base shared by Old English esne 'labourer'

earn in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of earn in the US English dictionary

Nearby words

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