earn

Earn is a verb meaning to obtain money or other compensation through work, service, or investment, and, more broadly, to deserve or merit something through actions or qualities. In everyday use, you earn wages by performing work, you earn interest on savings, and you can earn rewards or praise for your performance. The phrase "earn a living" emphasizes producing income through labor rather than luck.

As a transitive verb, earn takes a direct object: you earn money, you earn a degree, you earn the right to something. It can appear in passive constructions: "The prize was earned by the team" although active voice is common in most writing. The noun form earnings refers to money received from work or investments, including wages, salaries, and profits.

Etymology: The word derives from Old English earnian, meaning to obtain, acquire, or deserve; related to other Germanic-language terms that express merit.

Usage notes: Earn implies effort or merit, in contrast to terms like win or luck. It is used in many idioms such as "earn a living," "earn your keep," and "earn a reputation."

In economics, earnings describe a person's or firm's income from work or investments, and is used in phrases like earnings per share (EPS) in financial reporting.