profit

¹prof·it

noun, often attributive \ˈprä-fət\

Definition of PROFIT

1

: a valuable return : gain

2

: the excess of returns over expenditure in a transaction or series of transactions; especially : the excess of the selling price of goods over their cost

3

: net income usually for a given period of time

4

: the ratio of profit for a given year to the amount of capital invested or to the value of sales

5

: the compensation accruing to entrepreneurs for the assumption of risk in business enterprise as distinguished from wages or rent

— prof·it·less \-ləs\ adjective

— prof·it·wise \-ˌwīz\ adverb

Examples of PROFIT

1. The company made a profit this year.
2. Profits are up from last year.
3. There was a rise in profits this year.
4. The profits from CD sales were donated to charity.
5. The organization is not run for profit.
6. The film made $1,000,000 in profit.
7. The book can be read with profit by anyone who wants to understand how the system works.

Origin of PROFIT

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin profectus advance, profit, from proficere

First Known Use: 14th century

Related to PROFIT

Synonyms: earnings, gain, lucre, net, payoff, proceeds, return

Related Words: cleanup, killing, windfall; bottom line; gross, sales; compensation, emolument, income, pay, payment, remittal, requital, salary, wages; interest, return, revenue, yield

Near Antonyms: charge, cost, disbursement, expenditure, expense, loss, outgo, outlay

see all synonyms and antonyms

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Other Economics Terms

actuary, compound interest, globalization, indemnity, portfolio, rentier, stagflation, usurer