earned one's keep

A form of earn one's keep — To perform satisfactory physical labor or to provide other worthy services in return for remuneration, lodging, or other benefits; to support oneself financially.

Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

verb
  1. participlepastsimple past and past participle of earn one's keep
Cite this entry
APA

earned one's keep. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/earned%20one's%20keep

MLA

“earned one's keep.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/earned%20one's%20keep. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “earned one's keep,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/earned%20one's%20keep.

Source: earned one's keep on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.