Dictionary

re-earn en · VERB

Etymology

From re- + earn.

Meanings

1. To earn back something one has lost.
   • What's the point in telling somebody that they now have a chance to go for a huge bonus when by scrolling the message slowly across the display the ball is already lost - meaning the bonus has to be re-earnt? 1992 November, Simon Byron, “Pinball Fantasies”, in The One, page 54:
   • Your culture used to know its job; now you're changing that job, and it has to relearn then re-earn its competence. 2015, Stan Slap, Under the Hood: Fire Up and Fine-Tune Your Employee Culture, →ISBN:
   • Trust can be re-earnt just as it can be destroyed. 2018, Ruth Danes, The Heiress to the Fairy Tales (Life on Another Island; 3), Rogue Phoenix Press, →ISBN:
   • It is the narcotic of the football itself that draws people in, makes them travel miles from home on wet nights, part with money that will have to be re-earnt at the workplace the next day. 1998 September 10, Paul Hayward, “Whistle blows on the past as United go fast forward”, in The Daily Telegraph, number 44,550, page 42:
2. To repeat the process of earning; to renew one's status as deserving.
   • After his family moved to Australia five years ago, and he re-earnt his black belt in the Australian system, Teo began competing in local and state competitions, quickly getting strong results. 2017 September 12, Ewen McRae, “Spanish trip a kick for Teo”, in Star Weekly, page 3:
   • The humble brand understands that it needs to re-earn attention, re-earn loyalty, and reconnect with its audience as if every day is the first day. 2013, Seth Godin, Whatcha Gonna Do With That Duck?: And Other Provocations, 2006-2012, →ISBN:
   • To do this, we understood that we had to earn and re-earn our hospitality reputation every day, one customer at a time, 50 million times a day. 2013, Monique Reece, Michael Tasner, Tony Davila, How to Innovate in Marketing, →ISBN:

Forms