earn
/ɝn/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: 4.48 in modern English
4
Scrabble Score
4
Letters
1
Syllables
4
Unique Chars
Meaning
verb
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).
Transitive verb
verb
To curdle (milk), especially in the cheesemaking process.
British usage; Archaic; Transitive verb
verb
Of milk: to curdle, especially in the cheesemaking process.
British usage; Intransitive verb; Obsolete
Example Sentences
- "You can have the s'mores: you earned them, clearing the walkway of snow so well."
- "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."
- "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."
- "He earns seven million dollars a year as CEO. My bank account is only earning one percent interest."
- "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."
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”).
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ɝn/
- British English: /ɜːn/
Usage
Inflected Forms
earns (present, singular)
earning (participle, present)
earned (participle, past)
earned (past)
earnt (UK, participle)
earnt (UK, past)
no-table-tags (table tags)
glossary (inflection template)
earned (first person, past)
earnt (first person, past)
earnest (archaic, present)
earned (past, second person)