SpeakUp

earn respect — gain respect

collocationB1IELTS 5+neutralcommon

To get other people to admire or value you because of your actions, character, or achievements.

Say it like a native

Textbook She garnered the esteem of her colleagues.

Native She earned her colleagues' respect.

'Garnered the esteem' is literary; 'earn respect' is the natural phrase.

Pattern: earn respect (from someone/for something)

In use

  • It takes time to earn respect from your colleagues at a new job.relationships
  • In my opinion, teachers earn respect by being fair and supportive to their students.IELTS speaking

Common mistake

✗ He earned a respect from his team.

✓ He earned the respect of his team.

Uncountable — no 'a'; 'respect OF'.

Common collocations

  • earn respect — the respect of, their, hard-earned, command

Don't confuse it

Compare with 'demand respect', which means to ask for respect rather than gaining it naturally.

Practice speaking with instant AI feedback →