Word
income
Phoneticsin·come, stress on the first syllable
US/ˈɪnˌkəm/
UK/ˈɪnkʌm/
Definitions
01earnings from work or capital
B1 · Intermediate Uncountable noun Finance General-service
n. the money you receive regularly from your job, business, or investments.
n. the total amount of money received by a person or household, typically from employment, business profits, or investment returns.
日本語:収入※
“Most of his monthly income goes toward paying his rent and bills.”
“The government is considering new tax breaks for households whose total annual income falls below the national median.”
Usage
Often used with adjectives like 'annual', 'monthly', 'gross', or 'net'.
Pitfall
The company has a high income this year.
The company has a high revenue this year.
Use 'income' for individuals or for a company's profit after costs; use 'revenue' for the total money a business brings in before expenses.
Antonyms
02money coming into a fund
B2 · Upper Intermediate Uncountable noun Accounting Academic · Technical
n. money that flows into a specific account, fund, or organization.
n. the inflow of capital into a specific fund, account, or institutional entity, often distinguished from the principal amount.
日本語:収入※
“The charity relies on the income from its many small donations.”
“The portfolio was designed to maximize steady income through dividends rather than focusing on long-term capital growth.”
Usage
Commonly used in the context of 'investment income' or 'trust income'.
03nutrients taken into the body
C2 · Proficiency Uncountable noun Science Technical · Archaic
n. the food or nutrients that a person or animal takes into their body.
n. the intake of nutritive material or food into a biological system.
“The doctor monitored the patient's daily nutritional income to ensure they were recovering.”
“The study measured the total caloric income of the subjects over a period of six months to determine metabolic changes.”
Teaching tip
This sense is very rare in modern English; learners will almost always encounter 'intake' instead.
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “income” in context.
Adjective
01. low income
“The government is introducing new tax credits to support families on a low income.”
adj + noun
Real-World Examples
“His four children – Mahmoud, 30, Reham, 27, Issa, 24, and Omar, 20 – also worked with him and relied on farming as a source of income for the family.” “The trees were also an important source of income for the people of the village.” Etymology
From Middle English income, perhaps continuing (in altered form) Old English incyme (“an in-coming, entrance”), equivalent to in- + come. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Íenkúumen (“income”), West Frisian ynkommen (“income”), Dutch inkomen, inkomst (“income, earnings, gainings”), German Low German Inkumst (“income”), German Einkommen, Einkunft (“income, earnings, competence”), Danish indkomst (“income”), Swedish inkomst (“income”), Icelandic innkváma (“income”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Domains
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Very common
- Level
- B2 · Upper IntermediateOxford
- Updated
- アルファベット
- 読み方の一覧 →
QR code
englishreference.com/q/income
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「日本語」 data: JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0