disposable income
noun
: income that is left after paying taxes and for things that are essential, such as food and housing
I don't have enough disposable income to buy such luxuries.
Examples of disposable income in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Cheaper gasoline meant more disposable income for consumers, lower transportation costs for businesses, and a boost to sectors that rely on oil as an input.
—
Robert Rapier, Forbes.com, 7 Apr. 2025
Your morning coffee, your yoga pants, your car: When accounting for all 2025 tariffs, disposable income is expected to drop 4% for lower-earning households and 1.6% for the highest-earning as Americans make up additional costs for everyday products.
—Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 3 Apr. 2025
The 2025 retail sales forecast is based on economic modeling that considers employment, wages, disposable income, consumer credit and previous retail sales, as well as U.S. government sources and the CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor, which is powered by Affinity Solutions.
—David Moin, Footwear News, 2 Apr. 2025
Should Americans have more disposable income, or should every taxpayer have flesh in the scrimmage?
Garner the Grammarian
Saving Endangered Languages
Bryan A. Garner
There are stages to most language deaths, the vanishings normally occurring quite gradually.
—Caroline Downey, National Review, 27 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for disposable income
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Robert Rapier, Forbes.com, 7 Apr. 2025
Your morning coffee, your yoga pants, your car: When accounting for all 2025 tariffs, disposable income is expected to drop 4% for lower-earning households and 1.6% for the highest-earning as Americans make up additional costs for everyday products.
—Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 3 Apr. 2025
The 2025 retail sales forecast is based on economic modeling that considers employment, wages, disposable income, consumer credit and previous retail sales, as well as U.S. government sources and the CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor, which is powered by Affinity Solutions.
—David Moin, Footwear News, 2 Apr. 2025
Should Americans have more disposable income, or should every taxpayer have flesh in the scrimmage?
Garner the Grammarian
Saving Endangered Languages
Bryan A. Garner
There are stages to most language deaths, the vanishings normally occurring quite gradually.
—Caroline Downey, National Review, 27 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for disposable income
Cite this Entry
“Disposable income.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disposable%20income. Accessed 1 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share