Earn Earned Money Work Earning Live I Verb

• he earns about $40 000 a year.
• to earn an income/a wage/a salary
• she earned a living as a part-time secretary.
• she must earn a fortune (= earn a lot of money).

earn

Verb Forms

1. to get money for work that you do
• SEE ALSO hard-earned
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/hard-earned
• He earns about $40 000 a year.
• to earn an income/a wage/a salary
• She earned a living as a part-time secretary.
• She must earn a fortune (= earn a lot of money).
• All the children are earning now.
• His victory in the tournament earned him $50 000.
• He earned enough from his work for food.

Extra Examples

• The workers barely earn enough to live on.
• the opportunity to earn more money
• The company expects to earn €600 million on sales.
• The plant will earn £950 million for the UK.
• profits earned from real estate sales
2. to get money as profit or interest on money you lend, have in a bank, etc.
• Your money would earn more in a high-interest account.
• interest earned from investments
3. to get something that you deserve, usually because of something good you have done or because of the good qualities you have
• SEE ALSO hard-earned
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/hard-earned
• He earned a reputation as an expert on tax law.
• As a teacher, she had earned the respect of her students.
• Their supporters have certainly earned the right to celebrate.
• I need a rest. I think I've earned it, don't you?
• She earned a degree in music.
• Players earn points to progress in the game.
• His outstanding ability earned him a place on the team.
• His great strength earned him the nickname ‘the Bull’.

Extra Examples

• She deservedly earned the admiration of her colleagues.
• He went on to earn a PhD in astronomy from the University of Maryland.
4. to earn enough money to live on
• I’ve been an actor for 20 years, earning a crust wherever I can.
5. to do useful or helpful things in return for being allowed to live or stay somewhere
• He was willing to earn his keep.
6. to be worth the amount of time or money that is being spent
• He felt he no longer deserved such a high salary. He just wasn't earning his keep.
• All this new technology will have to earn its keep.
7. to get a position or reputation you deserve through work or achievements
• If you want to earn your stripes in journalism, you need to start at the bottom.
• With elite football, you really do have to earn your stripes.
8. to become famous or successful

Word Origin

• Old English earnian, of West Germanic origin, from a base shared by Old English esne ‘labourer’.