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?