earn
earn Lexical Profile
earn Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To obtain money, income, or a livelihood in return for labor or services.
"She works extra shifts on the weekends to earn enough money for college tuition."
To gain or deserve a reward, recognition, or reputation through one's actions, qualities, or efforts.
"His consistent honesty and hard work earned him the respect of the entire department."
To yield or accrue financial return or interest (of an investment or account).
"The high-yield savings account earns four percent interest annually."
Word Nuance & Usage
"Earn" is often confused with "win" or "gain" by English learners; "earn" specifically implies obtaining money or status as fair compensation for work or effort, whereas "win" implies success in a competition or game of chance.
• Rhymes for earn
Word Origin & Etymology
From Old English earnian ("to labor for, deserve"), derived from Proto-Germanic *aznon ("to do harvest work, serve"), related to Old High German arnon ("to reap") and modern German Ernte ("harvest").