What does earning mean?
Earning is the act of acquiring money or another reward through work, effort, or merit, and by extension can refer to the income so acquired. It is most frequently encountered in phrases like 'earning power', 'earning potential', and 'earning a living', which connect it to economic life and personal achievement. The word carries positive connotations of diligence and desert: what is earned is understood to have been deserved rather than given. As a noun derived from the verb 'earn', it sits within a productive family that includes 'earner', 'earnings', and 'unearned'. In modern usage the plural form 'earnings' dominates when speaking of actual income, while the singular gerund tends to appear in discussions of the activity itself. Its enduring usefulness lies in this link between effort and reward, a connection rooted deep in its Old English origins.
nounThe act of obtaining money, respect, or another reward through work, effort, or merit; also, the money itself received as income.
- The action or process of gaining money or other reward through labour or merit
- The money obtained in this way; earnings or income
"Her steady earning allowed her to buy a small flat by the age of thirty."
"Earning a degree requires years of disciplined study."
"His earning dropped sharply after he switched to part-time work."
Always plural when referring to income; takes plural verbs.
"Her earnings last quarter exceeded expectations."
Before it meant money, 'earn' meant to deserve — so when you're earning a living, you're literally proving you've earned one.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of earning
Earning derives from the Old English verb earnian, meaning to earn, deserve, or merit, which is itself of Germanic origin. The sense of deserving or meriting came first, with the monetary sense developing later through Middle English. The word has been central to English expressions of labour and reward since the medieval period, though its precise earliest attestations are not firmly documented.
Related word forms
How earning is actually used
In everyday use, 'earnings' (the plural form) is more common than the singular gerund when referring specifically to money received; 'earning' most often appears in verbal constructions such as 'earning power' and 'earning a living'.
Easily confused with earning
A yearning is an intense longing for something, while earning refers to gaining money or rewards through effort.