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income

n.
US //ˈɪnˌkəm// UK //ˈɪnkʌm// in·come
  1. 1 earnings from work or capital (n.)
    B1 Intermediate General-service Finance

    the money you receive regularly from your job, business, or investments.

    the total amount of money received by a person or household, typically from employment, business profits, or investment returns.

    Example

    Most of his monthly income goes toward paying his rent and bills.

    Example

    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.

  2. 2 money coming into a fund (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Academic Technical Accounting

    money that flows into a specific account, fund, or organization.

    the inflow of capital into a specific fund, account, or institutional entity, often distinguished from the principal amount.

    Example

    The charity relies on the income from its many small donations.

    Example

    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'.
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  1. 3 nutrients taken into the body (n.)
    C2 Proficiency Technical Archaic Science

    the food or nutrients that a person or animal takes into their body.

    the intake of nutritive material or food into a biological system.

    Example

    The doctor monitored the patient's daily nutritional income to ensure they were recovering.

    Example

    The study measured the total caloric income of the subjects over a period of six months to determine metabolic changes.

    Teacher's tip

    This sense is very rare in modern English; learners will almost always encounter 'intake' instead.
Origin

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”).

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