earn

verb

ˈərn How to pronounce earn (audio)
Definition of earnnext
1
as in to win
to receive as return for effort during my teen years I earned pocket money by mowing lawns

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to deserve
to be or make worthy of (as a reward or punishment) you've earned the afternoon off after all that hard work

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of earn The Falcons took a lengthy look at their starters and survived a second-half push to earn a 17-12 victory over the Dolphins on Friday night at Hard Rock Stadium. — Daniel Flick, AJC.com, 29 Aug. 2026 Movies in this class are, paradigmatically, produced, written, and directed by the same person, who generally also plays the devastatingly handsome romantic lead (and often funds the proceedings with money earned in some unrelated capacity). — Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2026 Volkswagen’s prosperity was recently based on two pillars – huge profits earned in China, and the highly successful German base where its engineers led the world for decades in making and exporting advanced sedans and SUVs. — Neil Winton, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026 Their partnership also earned Parton her first Grammy nomination in 1970. — Lori A Bashian, FOXNews.com, 29 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for earn
Recent Examples of Synonyms for earn
  1. win
  2. deserve
  3. gain
  4. reap
  5. garner
  6. make
  7. obtain
  8. get
Verb
  • All the drama from last week’s showdown with the season-21 designers is resolved by season 22 winning the unconventional-materials challenge.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Chidgasornpongse won best director in the Asian New Talent competition at the Shanghai International Film Festival, where Sompop Songkampol also took best actor.
    — Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of win
Verb
  • Sure, pedicures get more playtime over the summer, but that doesn’t mean your toes don’t deserve the same attention once temperatures drop.
    — Marianne Mychaskiw, Allure, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Someone may be ready to move before the details deserve that level of enthusiasm.
    — Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of deserve
Verb
  • Oswego finished seven of its 11 drives by scoring points and gained 483 yards.
    — Jerry Birchfield, Chicago Tribune, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Iceland, which gained independence from Denmark in 1944, has a proud history of independence, of not allowing itself to be pushed around by bigger and richer European nations.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of gain
Verb
  • And now, the prequel films get to reap the benefits of the chemistry that Banks and Harrelson cultivated.
    — Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Binders upon binders of policies on people like him that Wall Street was waiting on to die to reap their returns.
    — Vito Emanuel, NPR, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of reap
Verb
  • Her cycle of resurrections, the highs and lows, didn’t seem to change her much over the years, even as the highs garnered her over half a billion dollars.
    — Shima Oliaee, Time, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Trio would garner Parton her first, and so far only, Grammy Award nomination for album of the year.
    — Keith Caulfield, Billboard, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of garner
Verb
  • The win made Okamoto the first Japanese actress to receive Cannes’ best actress honor.
    — Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Apart from deepening its presence in existing markets, IHH is also considering expanding into adjacent countries, though Prem admits that no concrete plans have yet been made.
    — Angelica Ang, Fortune, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of make
Verb
  • According to the police documents obtained by Law & Crime, Weatherall, 22, ordered a Lyft ride to an apartment complex in Greenville.
    — Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 30 Aug. 2026
  • After obtaining the suspect's name and descriptions of both the man and his vehicle, DeLong cleared the call.
    — Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of obtain
Verb
  • Police had initially tried to pull over Shelton's vehicle, a 2006 Honda Civic, near Rodney Parham Road and Mississippi Street, but the vehicle fled through several streets and got away, Little Rock police said in a news release.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 26 Aug. 2026
  • The service got its name from the original Mechanical Turk, an 18th century chess-playing robot that was actually controlled by a human chess master.
    — Annie Palmer, CNBC, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of get

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earn
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Cite this Entry

“Earn.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/earn. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on earn

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about earn

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