1 to get money by working 挣钱；赚钱: How much does a dentist earn? 牙医挣多少钱？I earn £20000 a year. 我每年挣20000英镑。It's hard to earn a living as an artist. 靠作画谋生是很难的。

2 to win the right to sth, for example by working hard 赢得对…的权利（如通过努力）: The team's victory today has earned them a place in the final. 球队今天的胜利为他们赢得决赛资格。

3 to get money as profit or interest on money you have in a bank, lent to sb, etc （通过把钱存入银行或放贷而）获利润或利息: How much interest will my savings earn in this account? 我这个账户上的存款会有多少利息？