Dictionary

earn en · VERB · etymology 1

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /ɛːrn/ (Early, Modern)
• /ɝn/ (US)
• /ɜːn/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /ɛrn/ (Early, Modern)
• ûrn (US)
• ûrn (Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

From Middle English ernen, from Old English earnian, from Proto-West Germanic *aʀanōn, from Proto-Germanic *azanōną. This verb is denominal from the noun *azaniz (“harvest”).

Meanings

1. (transitive) To gain (success, reward, recognition) through applied effort or work.
   • You can have the s'mores: you earned them, clearing the walkway of snow so well.
   • England will not be catapulted among the favourites for Euro 2012 as a result of this win, but no victory against Spain is earned easily and it is right they take great heart from their efforts as they now prepare to play Sweden at Wembley on Tuesday. 2011 November 12, “International friendly: England 1-0 Spain”, in BBC Sport:
   • With their hard work and dedication, they earned respect and a seat at the table.
   • Carried somehow, somewhither, for some reason, on these surging floods, were these travelers, of errand not wholly obvious to their fellows, yet of such sort as to call into query alike the nature of their errand and their own relations. It is easily earned repetition to state that Josephine St. Auban's was a presence not to be concealed. 1910, Emerson Hough, chapter II, in The Purchase Price: Or The Cause of Compromise, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:
2. (transitive) To receive payment for work or for a role or position held (regardless of whether effort was applied or whether the remuneration is deserved or commensurate).
   • He earns seven million dollars a year as CEO.  My bank account is only earning one percent interest.
   • After stuffing themselves and their clients full of dodgy mortgages at bogus prices with shoddy assertions of safety, many of the world's biggest banks toppled when housing prices fell. Meanwhile, financial executives whose irresponsible policies and slipshod oversight contributed to the collapse nevertheless earned—and kept—billions of dollars in bonuses, stock options, and other forms of incentive compensation. Many of them are still basking in baronial splendor, apparently unscathed even by the pangs of guilty conscience. 2015, Jason Zweig, The Devil's Financial Dictionary, PublicAffairs, →ISBN, page 1:
   • She earns more than forty thousand dollars a year in passive income from her parents' investments — that's what she gets before she even gets out of bed or lifts a finger.
3. (intransitive) To receive payment for work.
   • Now that you are earning, you can start paying me rent.
4. (transitive) To cause (someone) to receive payment or reward.
   • My CD earns me six percent!
   • '[T]hough I earned her a lot of money, I have nothing but regrets for what I did.' 1965, James Holledge, What Makes a Call Girl?, London: Horwitz Publications, page 99:
   • In that era, all their long, hard, dangerous labor in the mines barely earned them even enough to eat!
5. (transitive) To achieve by being worthy of.
   • to earn a spot in the top 20

Forms

Deriveds

overearn · earnout · earner · earnings · earn out · reearn · earnful · earn one's crust · earn one's keep · earn one's spurs · earn a living · earn one's wings · earnable · pay as you earn · nonearning · outearn · unearning · unearned · unearn · hard-earned · re-earn · outourn · underearn · earn one's corn · earn a crust · earn one's stripes

Synonyms

deserve (gain through applied effort or work) · render (cause someone to receive payment or reward) · make (cause someone to receive payment or reward) · rake in ((transitive) receive payment for work) · win (gain through applied effort or work) · garner (gain through applied effort or work) · yield (cause someone to receive payment or reward) · generate (cause someone to receive payment or reward) · take in ((transitive) receive payment for work) · merit (gain through applied effort or work) · get ((transitive) receive payment for work) · rake it in ((intransitive) receive payment for work)

Translations (132)

vec vadagnar (transitive: receive (money) for working) · ar كَسَبَ (transitive: receive (money) for working) · ko 벌다 (transitive: receive (money) for working) · eo perlabori (transitive: receive (money) for working) · it guadagnare (transitive: receive (money) for working) · ru зарабо́тать (intransitive: receive money for working) · ru зараба́тывать (transitive: receive (money) for working) · gl gañar (gain through applied effort or work) · be зарабля́ць (transitive: receive (money) for working) · pt ganhar (transitive: receive (money) for working) · bho कमाईल (transitive: receive (money) for working) · cdo 掙 /挣 (transitive: receive (money) for working) · es granjear (gain through applied effort or work) · bg зарабо́тя (transitive: receive (money) for working) · gl gañar (intransitive: receive money for working) · cmn 賺取 /赚取 (transitive: receive (money) for working) · scn vadagnari (transitive: receive (money) for working) · fr mériter (deserve) · es ganar (intransitive: receive money for working) · gd coisinn (transitive: receive (money) for working) · fur vanzâ (transitive: receive (money) for working) · hi कमाना (transitive: receive (money) for working) · cmn 值得 (deserve) · pl zarobić (intransitive: receive money for working) · cmn 賺 /赚 (transitive: receive (money) for working) · be зарабі́ць (transitive: receive (money) for working) · hy վաստակել (gain through applied effort or work) · uk заробля́ти (transitive: receive (money) for working) · eo enspezi (transitive: receive (money) for working) · pt merecer (deserve) · hy ստանալ (transitive: receive (money) for working) · id berpenghasilan (intransitive: receive money for working) · eo meriti (deserve) · ga tuill (transitive: receive (money) for working) · hu keres (transitive: receive (money) for working) · ar اِسْتَحَقَّ (deserve) · es devengar (transitive: receive (money) for working) · fi tienata (intransitive: receive money for working) · eu irabazi (transitive: receive (money) for working) · te సంపాదించు (transitive: receive (money) for working) · ru зарабо́тать (transitive: receive (money) for working) · de verdienen (transitive: receive (money) for working) · vec ciapar (transitive: receive (money) for working) · ja 稼ぐ (transitive: receive (money) for working) · fi ansaita (gain through applied effort or work) · fur vuadagnâ (transitive: receive (money) for working) · arz كسب (transitive: receive (money) for working) · ca guanyar (intransitive: receive money for working) · el κερδίζω (transitive: receive (money) for working) · nl verdienen (transitive: receive (money) for working) · vi kiếm (transitive: receive (money) for working) · izh teenata (intransitive: receive money for working) · rup amintu (transitive: receive (money) for working) · gl gañar (transitive: receive (money) for working) · fr gagner (transitive: receive (money) for working) · pt receber (intransitive: receive money for working) · cs vydělat (transitive: receive (money) for working) · fr gagner (intransitive: receive money for working) · pl zasłużyć (deserve) · hy աշխատել (transitive: receive (money) for working) · ur کمانا (transitive: receive (money) for working) · ka გამოიმუშავებს (gain through applied effort or work) · sk zarábať si (transitive: receive (money) for working) · ca guanyar (gain through applied effort or work) · lo ຫາເງິນ (intransitive: receive money for working) · tr hak etmek (gain through applied effort or work) · pt auferir (transitive: receive (money) for working) · arz كسب (gain through applied effort or work) · izh teenata (transitive: receive (money) for working) · nrf gângni (intransitive: receive money for working) · bg зарабо́твам (intransitive: receive money for working) · mk заработи (transitive: receive (money) for working) · th หาเงิน (intransitive: receive money for working) · ru заслу́живать (deserve) · ru зарабо́тать (gain through applied effort or work) · th หาได้ (transitive: receive (money) for working) · ru зараба́тывать (gain through applied effort or work) · bg зарабо́тя (intransitive: receive money for working) · ja 値する (deserve) · sk zarobiť si (transitive: receive (money) for working) · cs vydělávat (intransitive: receive money for working) · sd ڪَمائِڻُ (transitive: receive (money) for working) · ca guanyar (transitive: receive (money) for working) · es conciliar (gain through applied effort or work) · ga cosain (gain through applied effort or work) · ru зараба́тывать (intransitive: receive money for working) · gl merecer (deserve) · vec davagnar (transitive: receive (money) for working) · fi tienata (transitive: receive (money) for working) · te సంపాదించు (gain through applied effort or work) · uk зароби́ти (transitive: receive (money) for working) · mn олох (transitive: receive (money) for working) · ru заслужи́ть (deserve) · ga cosain (deserve) · cmn 獲得 /获得 (transitive: receive (money) for working) · nl verdienen (gain through applied effort or work) · eo perlabori (gain through applied effort or work) · es merecer (deserve) · hy վաստակել (transitive: receive (money) for working) · tr para kazanmak (intransitive: receive money for working) · scn guadagnari (transitive: receive (money) for working) · ja 得る (transitive: receive (money) for working) · de verdienen (deserve) · bg пече́ля (gain through applied effort or work) · ka შოულობს (gain through applied effort or work) · es ganar (transitive: receive (money) for working) · ar كَسَبَ (gain through applied effort or work) · la mereō (transitive: receive (money) for working) · pl zarabiać (transitive: receive (money) for working) · km ស៊ី (transitive: receive (money) for working) · cmn 應受 /应受 (deserve) · pl zarobić (transitive: receive (money) for working) · bg заслу́жавам (deserve) · la mereō (gain through applied effort or work) · ta சம்பாதி (transitive: receive (money) for working) · nrf gângni (transitive: receive (money) for working) · et teenima (transitive: receive (money) for working) · pl zarabiać (intransitive: receive money for working) · cmn 掙 /挣 (transitive: receive (money) for working) · tr kazanmak (transitive: receive (money) for working) · es granjear (deserve) · fi ansaita (deserve) · mk заработува (transitive: receive (money) for working) · ro câștiga (transitive: receive (money) for working) · ca cobrar (transitive: receive (money) for working) · qu usachiy (gain through applied effort or work) · it guadagnare (gain through applied effort or work) · bg зарабо́твам (transitive: receive (money) for working) · es ganar (gain through applied effort or work) · tr kazandırmak (cause someone to receive money) · grc μισθαρνέω (transitive: receive (money) for working) · ro câștiga (gain through applied effort or work)

earn en · VERB · etymology 2

Etymology

Probably either: * from Middle English erne, ernen (“to coagulate, congeal”) (chiefly South Midlands) [and other forms], a metathetic variant of rennen (“to run; to coagulate, congeal”), from Old English rinnan (“to run”) (with the variants iernan, irnan) and Old Norse rinna (“to move quickly, run; of liquid: to flow, run; to melt”), both from Proto-Germanic *rinnaną, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₃er- (“to move, stir; to rise, spring”); or * a back-formation from earning (“(Britain regional, archaic) rennet”).

Meanings

1. (UK, archaic, dialectal, transitive) To curdle (milk), especially in the cheesemaking process.
2. (UK, dialectal, intransitive, obsolete) Of milk: to curdle, especially in the cheesemaking process.

Forms

Synonyms

run · yearn

earn en · VERB · etymology 3

Etymology

A variant of yearn.

Meanings

1. (UK, dialectal, obsolete, transitive) To strongly long or yearn (for something or to do something).
   • And ever as he rode, his hart did earne / To prove his puissance in battell brave. 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book I, Canto I”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 3:
2. (UK, dialectal, intransitive, obsolete) To grieve.
   • [M]y manly heart doth erne. […] Boy, briſsle thy Courage vp: For Falſtaffe hee is dead, and wee muſt erne therefore. 1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Life of Henry the Fift”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene iii], page 75, column 2:

Forms

earn en · NOUN · etymology 4

Meanings

1. (UK, alt-of, alternative, dialectal) Alternative form of erne
   alt of erne
   • They gleamed on many a dusky tarn , Haunted by the lonely earn 1805, Walter Scott, “(please specify the page)”, in The Lay of the Last Minstrel: A Poem, London: […] [James Ballantyne] for Longman, Hurst, Rees, and Orme, […], and A[rchibald] Constable and Co., […], →OCLC:

Forms