earn

earn — verb

1. to receive money in return for the work or services you provide, such as a salar

1.verbtransitive / intransitiveA2
Definition

to receive money in return for the work or services you provide, such as a salary, wage, or income

Example

Sari earns a good salary working as a nurse at the city hospital.

earn + salary (direct object for money received)

After finishing his apprenticeship, Ryo began to earn more money as a qualified electrician.

Common collocations
  • earn a salary
  • earn a wage
  • earn a living
  • earn income
  • earn money
  • earn a bonus
  • well-earned
Synonyms
  • make

    more general; 'make money' is informal and common; 'earn money' emphasizes work done

  • bring in

    informal phrasal verb: 'Her freelance work brings in extra cash'

  • net

    refers to income after deductions: 'He nets about fifty thousand a year'

Antonyms
  • spend

    opposite action — earning puts money in, spending takes it out

  • lose

    opposite financial outcome: 'lose money' vs 'earn money'

Grammar Patterns

earn + [money / salary / wage / income / living]

earn + by + -ing

intransitive: earn well / earn enough

Usage Note

This sense can be used transitively (with a direct object such as salary, wage, or income) or intransitively when the amount is clear from context: 'She earns well in her new role.' The object is almost always related to money or financial reward.

Common Mistakes

She earned the race yesterday.
She won the race yesterday.
'earn' is for money or deserved results; 'win' is for competitions, races, and games.
He earns a lot of prize from his job.
He earns a lot of money from his job.
'prize' is not used as an object of 'earn'; use 'win a prize' or specify the income type.

2. to receive or deserve something because of your efforts, actions, or positive qu

2.verbtransitiveB1
Definition

to receive or deserve something because of your efforts, actions, or positive qualities — for example, earning someone's trust by always telling the truth, or earning a victory through months of training

Example

Padma earned the respect of her teammates after leading the project through a difficult crisis.

earn + respect (abstract noun as direct object)

By volunteering at the shelter every weekend, Talia earned a reputation for kindness in her community.

earn + reputation (achieved through sustained effort)

Common collocations
  • earn respect
  • earn trust
  • earn a reputation
  • earn praise
  • earn a place
  • earn a living
  • earn one's keep
Synonyms
  • deserve

    stronger emphasis on worthiness rather than the act of receiving: 'She deserves a break'

  • merit

    more formal, often used in academic or professional contexts: 'His proposal merits serious consideration'

  • win

    overlaps when effort leads to achievement: 'win admiration', but 'win' can also involve luck or competition

Antonyms
  • lose

    opposite outcome: 'lose someone's trust' vs 'earn someone's trust'

  • forfeit

    lose the right to something through your own actions: 'forfeit respect'

Grammar Patterns

earn + [respect / trust / reputation / praise / victory]

earn + [indirect object] + [direct object]

Usage Note

Frequently takes an abstract noun as direct object (respect, trust, reputation, praise, loyalty, place). Distinguish from sense 1: the object here is never money or income — it is something non-financial that is deserved because of effort or good conduct.

Common Mistakes

I earned a promotion by work hard.
I earned a promotion by working hard.
'by' must be followed by a gerund (-ing form), not a bare noun or verb.
He earned a good prize for his efforts.
He earned a good reputation for his efforts.
'prize' is won, not earned through sustained effort.

3. to produce a financial return — such as interest, dividends, or profit — on mone

3.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to produce a financial return — such as interest, dividends, or profit — on money you have put into savings, investments, or loans

Example

Chiara's savings account earns two and a half percent interest every year.

earn + interest (financial return from savings)

These government bonds earn a fixed return of four percent over a ten-year period.

earn + return (subject = investment instrument)

Common collocations
  • earn interest
  • earn profit
  • earn a return
  • earn dividends
  • earn income on investments
Synonyms
  • yield

    formal financial term: 'The bond yields 3.5% annually'

  • generate

    broader, can apply to any kind of production: 'generate income', 'generate revenue'

  • return

    used as a noun in finance: 'earn a return on investment'; less common as a verb in this sense

Grammar Patterns

[investment / account] + earns + [interest / return / profit]

earn + [percentage] + interest/return

earn + [person] + [amount] + in interest

Usage Note

The subject is often the account, bond, or investment itself rather than a person: 'The account earns 4% interest.' When a person is the subject, the investment vehicle is usually mentioned: 'She earned 5% on her bonds.' Never used for losses — use 'suffer a loss' or 'incur a loss' instead.

Common Mistakes

My stock investment earned me a big loss.
My stock investment earned me a big profit.' or 'My stock investment caused me a big loss.
'earn' is only used for positive returns, never for losses.
The bank earns 2% from my deposit.
My deposit earns 2% at the bank.
the money/investment earns; the bank pays interest, it does not earn interest from the depositor.
Idioms

earn a/your crust

idiom

To make enough money to pay for basic needs like food and housing.

Maya earns her crust by working as a freelance graphic designer.

After losing his job, Brian struggled to earn a crust for his family.

earn your keep

idiom

To do useful work or provide value in exchange for being allowed to stay somewhere or receive benefits.

Sara earns her keep at the farm by helping with the animals.

The new software must earn its keep by improving our productivity.

earn your stripes

idiom

To gain a position or reputation through hard work and achievements.

Diego earned his stripes as a chef by working in top restaurants.

To earn your stripes in this company, you need to complete a tough training program.

win/earn your spurs

idiom

To become famous or successful, especially after proving your ability.

Aiden won his spurs as a musician after his first album went platinum.

The young lawyer earned her spurs by winning a difficult case.

Word family

  • earner
    nounB1
  • earnings
    nounB1
  • well-earned
    adjectiveB2
  • hard-earned
    adjectiveB2
  • unearned
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/2

All four words can describe receiving something positive based on effort or qualities, but they differ in emphasis. Earn (verb/2) focuses on the result achieved through sustained effort — the person worked for it and received it. Deserve is about worthiness regardless of whether the reward is actually received: 'She deserves a promotion' may be true even if she does not get one. Merit is more formal and often used for abstract recognition: 'His research merits recognition' suggests objective worthiness. Win can overlap with earn when effort is involved ('win admiration'), but win also allows for luck or competition: you can win a lottery (luck) or win a race (competition), whereas earn always implies effort. For example, a doctor earns her patients' trust over years of good care; she does not win it in a competition.

earn ↗deserve ↗merit ↗win ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

  • earn well
  • earn steadily
  • earn consistently
  • earn handsomely
  • hard-earned

Phrases

  • earn a living
  • earn one's keep
  • earn a crust

Prepositions

  • earn from
  • earn by
  • earn through

Etymology

Proto-GermanicOld EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

Earn comes from Old English earnian, meaning 'to harvest, reap, or deserve,' which traces back to Proto-Germanic *aznōjaną ('to harvest, do farm work'). The original image was of a farmer reaping crops — the reward naturally following the labour. By the Middle English period, the meaning had broadened to any kind of reward for effort, whether in money, reputation, or trust.