Definition of "earn" []

• To gain especially for the performance of service, labor, or work: earned money by mowing lawns. (verb-transitive)
• To acquire or deserve as a result of effort or action: She earned a reputation as a hard worker. (verb-transitive)
• To yield as return or profit: a savings account that earns interest on deposited funds. (verb-transitive)
• Spurs To gain a position through hard work and the accumulation of experience, often in the face of difficulties. (idiom)
• Obsolete To yearn. (verb-intransitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "After about a half-mile or so, the grade steepens considerably and the meaning of the phrase "earn one's turns" becomes clear."
• "I found out it will take me 803 years to earn what Mark Teixeira will earn in one year (actually playing about 8 of those months) and I am using the term earn loosely (Does any anyone really earn that kind of money for playing a game?)"
• "I don't think foxsports should abuse the word "earn" like this."