EARN Synonyms: 58 Similar and Opposite Words

earn

verb

ˈərn

Definition of earn

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

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 To prepare for a scuba diver’s worst nightmare, Abrams earned the necessary certifications. — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 16 Oct. 2026 Regions earned 73 cents per share, excluding certain items, while analysts polled by FactSet expected a profit of 66 cents per share. — Deena Zaidi, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2026 Given all of Los Angeles’ injuries along its offensive line, this weekend’s matchup should present opportunities for the Chiefs’ front seven to get back to the quarterback — and perhaps earn a Cram Award along the way. — Pete Sweeney, Kansas City Star, 16 Oct. 2026 Once Upon a Time in Harlem more than earns the majestic, epic feel of its title. — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 16 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for earn

Recent Examples of Synonyms for earn

Verb

The production won the Tony Award for special theatrical event.

— Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
Soon, Senior is the new leader of his son’s gang, winning hearts and minds with ’Nam stories and chummy nicknames.

— Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of win

Verb

The Horned Frogs’ defense deserves a ton of credit for shutting down a Baylor offense that scored 55 points and rolled up 564 yards in its last game against Arizona State.

— Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 19 Oct. 2026
American consumers deserved bargains on digital watches, pocket calculators, and primitive computers.

— Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of deserve

Verb

Whether lawmakers accept those limits will help determine how much authority the federal government gains over advanced AI systems.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026
North Korean engineers have learned from time spent working in Russia’s massive Yelabuga drone factory, and North Korean forces fighting alongside Russia have gained firsthand experience in integrating drones into modern combat.

— Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Foreign Affairs, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of gain

Verb

Investors sent chip stocks soaring this year on expectations for a massive AI buildout and a shortage of chips that would allow the companies to reap enormous profits.

— John Towfighi, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2026
Hopefully, Miami can begin to reap the benefits from the lumps that the trio of defensive linemen — Grant, Phillips and Biggers — received during their up-and-down rookie campaigns in 2025.

— Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of reap

Verb

Floated earlier this year, a separate bid to have political appointees—rather than independent expert panels—decide grant recipients garnered significant backlash.

— Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 14 Oct. 2026
The goals and guardrails came forward after district leaders hosted more than 40 community listening sessions in recent months to garner feedback from families, teachers and other stakeholders.

— Lina Ruiz, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of garner

Verb

The hackers also obtained access to unique student identifier numbers as well as information about gender, race or ethnicity, primary language, country of origin and English learner status.

— Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026
Detectives identified a person of interest and obtained a search warrant for a residence.

— Daniel Hunt, Sacbee.com, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of obtain

Verb

White said Salvation Brands is not to be confused with the big brand management firms such as Authentic Brands Group and WHP Global, which are getting all the attention these days.

— Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 15 Oct. 2026
Waddhwa moved to strike a film development deal around the incident after getting unsolicited inquiries from Indian media firms.

— Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of get

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earmarks

earn

earned

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Style

“Earn.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/earn. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of earn

verb

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