bottom line

bottom line

noun

Definition of BOTTOM LINE

1

a : the essential or salient point : crux

b : the primary or most important consideration

2

a : the line at the bottom of a financial report that shows the net profit or loss

b : financial considerations (as cost or profit or loss)

c : the final result

Examples of BOTTOM LINE

1. If our flight is late, we will miss our connection. That's the bottom line.
2. A student with special needs can stress a school's budget, but the bottom line is that the state must provide for the child's education.
3. How will these changes affect our bottom line?
4. He's always got his eye on the bottom line.
5. He says his bottom line is $120,000.

First Known Use of BOTTOM LINE

1967

Related to BOTTOM LINE

Synonyms

crux, bull's-eye, centerpiece, core, essence, gist, heart, kernel, keynote, meat, meat and potatoes, net, nub, nubbin, nucleus, pith, pivot, point, root, sum

Related Words

course, direction, drift, tenor; body, content, substance; hypothesis, proposition, purport, subject, theme, thesis