earn
verb/ɜːn/
/ɜːrn/
Verb Forms
Idioms | present simple I / you / we / they earn | /ɜːn/ /ɜːrn/ |
| he / she / it earns | /ɜːnz/ /ɜːrnz/ |
| past simple earned | /ɜːnd/ /ɜːrnd/ |
| past participle earned | /ɜːnd/ /ɜːrnd/ |
| -ing form earning | /ˈɜːnɪŋ/ /ˈɜːrnɪŋ/ |
- [transitive, intransitive] to get money for work that you do
- earn (something) He earns about $40 000 a year.
- to earn an income/a wage/a salary
- It's not easy to earn a living as an artist.
- She must earn a fortune (= earn a lot of money).
- All the children are earning now.
- earn somebody something His victory in the tournament earned him $50 000.
- earn something from something They earned enough from their work for food.
Collocations FinanceFinanceIncomesee also hard-earned- earn money/cash/(informal) a fortune/the minimum wage/a living wage
- make money/a fortune/(informal) a killing on the stock market
- acquire/inherit/amass wealth/a fortune
- build up funds/savings
- get/receive/leave (somebody) an inheritance/a legacy
- live on a low wage/a fixed income/a pension
- get/receive/draw/collect a pension
- depend/be dependent on (British English) benefits/(North American English) welfare/social security
- spend money/your savings/(informal) a fortune on…
- invest/put your savings in…
- throw away/waste/ (informal) shell out money on…
- lose your money/inheritance/pension
- use up/ (informal) wipe out all your savings
- pay (in) cash
- use/pay by a credit/debit/contactless card
- pay by/make out a/write somebody a/accept a (British English) cheque/(US English) check
- change/exchange money/currency
- give/pay/leave (somebody) a deposit
- have/hold/open/close/freeze a bank account/an account
- credit/debit/pay something into/take money out of your account
- deposit money/funds in your account
- withdraw money/cash/£30 from an ATM, etc.
- (formal) make a deposit/withdrawal
- find/go to/use (especially North American English) an ATM/(British English) a cash machine/dispenser
- be in credit/in debit/in the black/in the red/overdrawn
- use a mobile/an online banking app/platform/service
- manage/handle/plan/run/ (especially British English) sort out your finances
- plan/manage/work out/stick to a budget
- offer/extend credit (to somebody)
- arrange/take out a loan/an overdraft
- pay back/repay money/a loan/a debt
- pay for something in (especially British English) instalments/(North American English usually) installments
- get into debt/financial difficulties
- be short of/ (informal) be strapped for cash
- run out of/owe money
- face/get/ (informal) be landed with a bill for £…
- can’t afford the cost of…/payments/rent
- fall behind with/ (especially North American English) fall behind on the mortgage/repayments/rent
- incur/run up/accumulate debts
- tackle/reduce/settle your debts
Extra ExamplesTopics Moneya2- 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
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- consistently
- reportedly
- reputedly
- …
- have to
- need to
- expect to
- …
- from
- a/the chance to earn something
- a/the opportunity to earn something
- earn a living as something
- …
Definitions on the go
Look up any word in the dictionary offline, anytime, anywhere with the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary app.
- [transitive] to get money as profit or interest on money you lend, have in a bank, etc.
- earn something Your money would earn more in a high-interest account.
- earn something from something interest earned from investments
- [transitive] to get something that you deserve, usually because of something good you have done or because of the good qualities you have
- earn something 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?
- (especially North American English) She earned a degree in music.
- Players earn points to progress in the game.
- earn somebody something Her outstanding ability earned her 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.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- really
- richly
- rightfully
- …
- have to
- need to
- seek to
- …
Word OriginOld English earnian, of West Germanic origin, from a base shared by Old English esne ‘labourer’.
Idioms
See earn in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee earn in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishearn a/your crust
- (British English, informal) to earn enough money to live on
- I’ve been an actor for 20 years, earning a crust wherever I can.
earn your keep
- to do useful or helpful things in return for being allowed to live or stay somewhere
- He was willing to earn his keep.
- 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.
earn your stripes
- (informal) 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.
win/earn your spurs
- (formal) to become famous or successfulTopics Successc2
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earn