1
: not gained by labor, service, or skill
unearned income
2
: scored as a result of an error by the opposing team
an unearned run
Examples of unearned in a Sentence
Bank interest is regarded as unearned income.
Recent Examples on the Web
That quality pitching came from freshman Jillian DeYoung, who allowed one unearned run, four hits and two walks while striking out nine.
—
Dave Melton, Chicago Tribune, 4 June 2025
Underwood, who started Tuesday against Cathedral in a 1-0 win, started against Rancho Bernardo (18-13) and allowed just one unearned run in five innings.
—John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 June 2025
Manning, a 6-foot-6 right-hander who signed with UC Irvine, shut out Mater Dei through six innings before giving up an unearned run in the seventh.
—Steve Fryer, Oc Register, 31 May 2025
Wake Forest’s pitching staff ranks eighth nationally in batting average against (.222) but 61st in runs allowed (298) due in part to a defense that has committed an ACC-high 71 errors, which have led to 52 unearned runs.
—Mitch Light, New York Times, 29 May 2025
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Dave Melton, Chicago Tribune, 4 June 2025
Underwood, who started Tuesday against Cathedral in a 1-0 win, started against Rancho Bernardo (18-13) and allowed just one unearned run in five innings.
—John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 June 2025
Manning, a 6-foot-6 right-hander who signed with UC Irvine, shut out Mater Dei through six innings before giving up an unearned run in the seventh.
—Steve Fryer, Oc Register, 31 May 2025
Wake Forest’s pitching staff ranks eighth nationally in batting average against (.222) but 61st in runs allowed (298) due in part to a defense that has committed an ACC-high 71 errors, which have led to 52 unearned runs.
—Mitch Light, New York Times, 29 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for unearned
Cite this Entry
“Unearned.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unearned. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
unearned
adjective
un·earned
ˌən-ˈərnd 
ˈən-
: not gained by labor, service, or skill
unearned income
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