# income

/ˈɪnˌkəm/ (US) · /ˈɪnkʌm/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/income
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. earnings from work or capital

noun · CEFR B1 · General-service

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

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

- 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'.

### 2. money coming into a fund

noun · CEFR B2 · Academic · Technical

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

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

- 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'.

### 3. nutrients taken into the body

noun · CEFR C2 · Technical · Archaic

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

For teachers: 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.

## Examples

- Her monthly income covers her rent and bills.
- The bank requires proof of a steady income before they will approve a mortgage for a new home.
- Economists often distinguish between gross income and disposable income to better understand the actual purchasing power of different household demographics within the national economy.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.