Meaning & use
income
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Meanings
nouncountable or uncountablefinance
The money a person, household or business receives over a period, such as from work, rent or investments.
Grammar: Often countable when referring to a person's earnings: a low income, two incomes.
Patterns
- income from something
- on a low income
- an income of something
Her income from teaching is modest, so she also tutors.
The couple's combined income doubled when he got the new job.
Rent from the flat provides a steady income.
noununcountablebusinessfinance
Money a business earns from sales, after or before costs, as shown in its accounts.
Grammar: Used in accounting: net income, operating income.
Patterns
- net income
- income statement
The company reported rising net income this quarter.
The charity's main income comes from donations.
Operating income fell as costs went up.
Word forms
| plural | incomes |
|---|
Common combinations
- low income
- Families on a low income can apply for help.
- annual income
- His annual income is above the national average.
- disposable income
- With rent so high, she has little disposable income.
- income tax
- Income tax is deducted from each paycheck.
- earn an income
- He earns an income by writing for magazines.
- source of income
- Tourism is the island's main source of income.
Synonyms and how they differ
- earnings
- Earnings stress money earned by working, while income also includes rent, interest and other sources.
- salary
- A salary is a fixed regular payment for a job, so it is only one kind of income.
- revenue
- Revenue is the total money a business takes in before costs, and is usually not used for people.
- wages
- Wages are payments usually calculated by the hour or week for manual or hourly work.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: income or revenue?
income vs revenue
Revenue refers to a business or government's total receipts, whereas income is the more general word and is also used for individuals.
Practice
Which word means all the money a person receives from work and investments?
Choose one answer.
Income is money coming in. Expense and debt refer to money spent or owed.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “income”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.