bottom-line

1 of 2

adjective

bot·​tom-line ˈbä-təm-ˌlīn 

1

: concerned only with cost or profits

2

: pragmatic, realistic

bottom-liner

ˈbä-təm-ˌlī-nər 

noun chiefly US, often disparaging

bottom line

2 of 2

noun

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 (such as cost or profit or loss)

c

: the final result

Synonyms of bottom-line

Noun

• essence
• root
• heart
• core
• kernel
• point
• sum

Examples of bottom-line in a Sentence

Noun

If our flight is late, we will miss our connection. That's the bottom line.

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.

How will these changes affect our bottom line?

He's always got his eye on the bottom line.

He says his bottom line is $120,000.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Still, Spyder’s tactic set off a chain of legal and bottom-line events that all lead to next month’s hearing and potentially a trial next year. — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 28 Aug. 2026

This comes after shares of Target spiked last Wednesday after the retailer reported second-quarter top- and bottom-line gains and raised its outlook for the year. — Kathryn Hopkins, Footwear News, 26 Aug. 2026

Noun

There’s things that get emphasized for entertainment, for bottom lines, for metrics. — David Katz, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2026

So my bottom line is, there were others who were trying to get on top of this story who really cared, as everyone did, about doing this the right way. — September 9, NPR, 9 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1968, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1830, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for bottom-line

• alkaline
• andesine
• anodyne
• anticline
• arginine
• asinine
• benzidine
• borderline
• byzantine
• calamine
• caroline
• centerline