Definition

1. Noun (plural):
   • Money received in exchange for work or services: "Earnings" refers to the payment an employee receives for their labor, typically on a regular basis (e.g., wages, salary).
   • The profit of a company or investment: "Earnings" also refers to the net income or profit a business generates after subtracting all its expenses, costs, and taxes over a specific period.

Usage and Examples

• Referring to personal income from work:

  • Her monthly earnings are sufficient to cover all her expenses.
  • He reported his earnings from freelance work on his tax return.

• Referring to corporate or investment profit:

  • The company announced strong quarterly earnings, exceeding analysts' expectations.
  • The earnings from his stock portfolio have grown significantly this year.

Advanced Usage

• "Retained earnings": This is an accounting term for the portion of a company's net income that is kept within the business rather than distributed to shareholders as dividends. These are reinvested into the company.

  • The firm used its retained earnings to fund research and development.

• "Price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio": A key financial metric used to value a company by comparing its current share price to its per-share earnings.

  • A high price-to-earnings ratio might indicate that a stock is overvalued.

Variants and Related Words

• Earn (verb): To receive money as payment for work or as a return on an investment.
  • She earns a good salary.
• Earner (noun): A person who earns money, especially a wage or salary.
  • He is the primary earner in his family.

Synonyms

• Income: Money received, especially on a regular basis, for work or through investments.
• Pay: Money paid for work or a service.
• Wages: Payment for labor, especially on an hourly, daily, or weekly basis.
• Profit: A financial gain, especially the difference between the amount earned and the amount spent.

Related Phrases and Idioms

• To report earnings: To officially announce a company's financial results for a period.
  • The tech giant will report its earnings after the market closes today.
• Before-tax earnings / After-tax earnings: Refers to profit calculated before or after income taxes are deducted.
  • The after-tax earnings give a clearer picture of what the shareholder actually receives.

Noun

1. something that remunerates
   • wages were paid by check
   • he wasted his pay on drink
   • they saved a quarter of all their earnings
2. the excess of revenues over outlays in a given period of time (including depreciation and other non-cash expenses)