English Reference
Noun

earner

n.
B2 Upper Intermediate US /ˈɝnɝ/ UK /ˈɜːnɐ/ earn·er UK spelling earner's, earner's

n.a person who has a job and earns money. It is a common way to describe someone who works to support themselves or their family.

n.a person who earns a living through employment or other means. Often used in the plural to refer to the primary income providers in a household.


CONTEXTUAL

The couple decided to move to a larger house now that both of them are established earners.

COMPLEX

Economic policy often focuses on increasing the number of earners within a household to reduce overall dependency on government assistance programs.

For example, people may believe high earners work less when redistributive taxes are in place.

Phys.org· 10 Sept 2026

He, too, was into the final year of his deal, and he was one of the club’s highest earners.

The Guardian· 5 Sept 2026

From earn + -er.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Level B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency Occasional
Updated