earn ‧ ings /ˈɜːnɪŋz $ ˈɜːr-/ BrE AmE noun [plural]
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ earner , ↑ earnings ; verb : ↑ earn ; adjective : earned ≠ ↑ unearned ]
1 . the money that you receive for the work that you do ⇨ salary , pay :
an employee’s average weekly earnings
He claimed compensation for loss of earnings.
2 . the profit that a company or country makes:
The company’s earnings have dropped by 5% in the first quarter.
Oil provides 40% of Norway’s export earnings.
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COLLOCATIONS (for Meanings 1 & 2)
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + earnings
▪ average earnings
Average earnings for teachers are around $70,000.
▪ hourly/weekly/monthly earnings
Some football players have weekly earnings of over £50,000.
▪ high earnings
Professional people pay more tax, because of their higher earnings.
▪ low earnings
a new government policy which is designed to help people on low earnings
▪ annual earnings
His annual earnings are over £1 million.
▪ future earnings (=money that a person or company is likely to earn in the future)
With serious injuries, the court may award substantial damages for loss of future earnings.
▪ quarterly earnings (=the amount a company earns during a three-month period)
The bank will announce its quarterly earnings on January 17.
▪ first/second etc quarter earnings (=the amount a company earns during one of the four periods of three months that make up a financial year)
The company’s fourth quarter earnings are excellent.
▪ gross earnings (=before tax has been paid)
You can usually borrow up to three times the value of your gross earnings per year.
▪ net earnings (=after tax has been paid)
The company’s net earnings have fallen over the last two years.
▪ export earnings (=money a company earns by exportings goods or services)
Export earnings from oil bring valuable overseas currency into the country.
■ verbs
▪ earnings rise/increase
Average earnings increased by 5 per cent last year.
▪ earnings fall (=become lower)
The company’s earnings fell by 21% in the fourth quarter.
▪ report earnings (=publicly state the amount of money a company has earned during a particular period)
Many car manufacturers have reported disappointing earnings this year.
■ phrases
▪ level of earnings (=the amount a person or company earns)
He found he was having to work harder just to maintain his level of earnings.
▪ loss of earnings
The insurance policy covers you for loss of earnings due to illness.
▪ growth in earnings (=an increase in the amount a person or company earns)
The first part of this year has seen a substantial growth in earnings.