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

Noun

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

Noun

On the other hand, buyers might request bigger closing cost credits, subtracting from the seller’s bottom line, Chuck Vander Stelt, a real estate agent in Valparaiso, Indiana, said in an email. —Nerdwallet, The Mercury News, 4 June 2024

But the bottom line is these are life-saving things and people should be doing them. —Patrick Jarenwattananon, NPR, 3 June 2024

His conviction this week was the third and heaviest blow the former president has been dealt in his erstwhile hometown this year — a series of challenges to his ego, his bottom line, and now, perhaps, his freedom. —Maggie Haberman, New York Times, 1 June 2024

How can employers nurture employees’ mental well-being in ways that foster both company morale and the bottom line? —Lindsey Leake, Fortune Well, 21 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1968, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1830, in the meaning defined at sense 1a