Forbes.com uses a complex methodology to come up with its list, taking into account various factors including earnings, the number of mentions each celebrity gets in print and television and their Internet presence before deciding the rankings.
The website also gives each celebrity a marketability score out of 100 developed by a California-based market research form.
Winfrey made an estimated $77 million between June 2012 and June 2013, significantly less than other rivals on the list but came out on top after scoring well in areas such as press mentions and social networking power, Forbes.com said.
In second place was eccentric pop star Lady Gaga, who earned $80 million in the same period, while Hollywood titan Steven Spielberg was third. The legendary director and producer earned a cool $100 million in the past year.
The next three spots were occupied by women from the music world, with Beyonce Knowles in fourth ($53 million), Madonna in fifth ($125 million) and Taylor Swift ($55 million).
Rock band Bon Jovi took seventh with $79 million while Swiss tennis ace Roger Federer was the only athlete to make the list as he came in eighth.
Federer, sensationally dumped out of Wimbledon in the second round on Wednesday, pocketed $71 million.
Rounding out the top 10 were singer Justin Bieber ($58 million) and television comedienne Ellen DeGeneres ($56 million).
The list can be found at www.forbes.com/celebrities.
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