income

The word “income” means money received regularly, especially from work, business, or investments. In plain terms, money you earn or receive on an ongoing basis.

“Income” is pronounced IHN-kuhm (/ˈɪnˌkʌm/ in IPA).

Here is “income” used in a sentence: “Her monthly income barely covers the rent.”

The opposite of “income” — its antonyms — is outgo.

“Income” is a noun.

The word “income” comes from Old English. From Old English incyme, "an in-coming, an entrance," built from in- + come — the word originally described anything flowing in, before narrowing to money.

“Income” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.

For a business, revenue is the total money coming in from sales before any costs are taken out, while income usually means what is left after expenses — the profit. For an individual, income simply means earnings from work or investments. So all revenue is income of a sort, but income often implies the net figure.

Gross income is the full amount you receive before any deductions — your headline salary or total earnings. Net income is what actually reaches you after tax, pension and other deductions are removed. Net is always the smaller, 'take-home' figure, and it is the one that reflects real spending power.

Income generally falls into a few groups: earned income from a job or self-employment, business or trading profits, and investment income such as interest, dividends and rent. Some also separate out 'passive' income, which keeps arriving with little ongoing work, like royalties or money from property.

The opposite is money going out rather than coming in — 'expenditure,' 'expenses' or 'outgoings.' In business accounts, income is set against 'costs' or 'outlay,' and the gap between the two is your profit or loss. On a personal budget, outgoings are simply everything you spend.