earned; earning; earns
1
a
: to receive as return for effort and especially for work done or services rendered
b
: to bring in by way of return
bonds earning 10 percent interest
2
a
: to come to be duly worthy of or entitled or suited to
she earned a promotion
b
: to make worthy of or obtain for
the suggestion earned him a promotion
earner
noun
Examples of earn in a Sentence
Verb (1)
during my teen years I earned pocket money by mowing lawns
you've earned the afternoon off after all that hard work
Recent Examples on the Web
Justin Chang, New Yorker, 3 Apr. 2026
Meanwhile, Boyd earned his first double-digit strikeout performance as a member of the Cubs.
—Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 2 Apr. 2026
Precise plans for the apartments aren’t complete, but the state is requiring that at least 20% of the units in the Daniel’s Mill building itself be put aside for people earning no more than 80% of the area’s median income.
—Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 2 Apr. 2026
The strong middle of the season helps The Testaments overcome its repetitive and mechanical beginnings, building to a shocking (if not wholly earned) penultimate episode — that’s then undone by a return to the Handmaid’s Tale Redux predictability of the finale.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 2 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for earn
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Verb
Lori listens in dumbfounded silence, keeping her eyes on the prize, and trying not to roll them when Julian makes a comment about the dearth of great women artists—the kind of remark that earned him a close brush with cancellation in the past.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 3 Apr. 2026
Meanwhile, Boyd earned his first double-digit strikeout performance as a member of the Cubs.
—Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 2 Apr. 2026
Precise plans for the apartments aren’t complete, but the state is requiring that at least 20% of the units in the Daniel’s Mill building itself be put aside for people earning no more than 80% of the area’s median income.
—Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 2 Apr. 2026
The strong middle of the season helps The Testaments overcome its repetitive and mechanical beginnings, building to a shocking (if not wholly earned) penultimate episode — that’s then undone by a return to the Handmaid’s Tale Redux predictability of the finale.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 2 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for earn
Cite this Entry
“Earn.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/earn. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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