earn

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA ^(key): /ɜːn/
• (US) enPR: ûrn, IPA ^(key): /ɝn/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Homophone: urn

Verb

Plain form earn

Third-person singular earns

Past tense earned

Past participle earned

Present participle earning

1. If you earn something you get it by working or doing something.

   I earn a lot more money at my new job than at my last job.

   He worked hard to earn our respect.

   She earned a bad name for herself by her bad behavior.

   The child earned a spanking by not listening to his parents.

   It took a long time to earn their trust.

2. If you think you have earned something, you think you should have it because of what you have done.

   After completing that project I thought I had earned some time to rest.

Related words

• earnings