'deserve' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
This is the entire clue.
(Other definitions for earn that I've seen before
include
"Attain"
,
"Receive in return for"
,
"Gain through labour or work"
,
"Gain (money, reputation, etc)"
,
"Acquire money by labour"
.)
I've seen this clue in the King Feature Syndicate, The Telegraph, The Mirror, the Evening Standard, the Penny Press, the Sydney Morning Herald, The New York Times, The Independent, the Universal, The Guardian and The Star Tribune.
'deserve' is the definition.
(synonyms)
This is all the clue.
(Other definitions for merit that I've seen before
include
"Worth; deserve"
,
"of a high order?"
,
"distinction"
,
"Goodness"
,
"Deserve or warrant"
.)
I've seen this clue in the Newsday, the King Feature Syndicate, The Washington Post, The Mirror, The Telegraph, the Evening Standard, the LA Times, the Penny Press, The Sun, The New York Times, The Times, The Independent, The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal, The Star Tribune and the USA Today.