often attributive
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
profited; profiting; profits
: to be of service to : benefit
Synonyms
Examples of profit in a Sentence
Noun
The company made a profit this year.
Profits are up from last year.
There was a rise in profits this year.
The profits from CD sales were donated to charity.
The organization is not run for profit.
The film made $1,000,000 in profit.
The book can be read with profit by anyone who wants to understand how the system works.
Verb
It would profit him to take some computer classes.
The company has profited by selling its products online.
He profited greatly from his investments.
The island profits from tourism.
Recent Examples on the Web
Detroit Free Press, 20 Apr. 2024
Pryor also took on pharmaceutical firms that were making hefty profits from government contracts.
—Frank E. Lockwood, arkansasonline.com, 20 Apr. 2024
As part of the reopening, all profits through Monday will go to Castellanos’ 1-year-old daughter, Everlyn, and family.
—Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 19 Apr. 2024
Last year, Samsung posted its weakest financial year in over a decade, with the Wall Street Journal reporting that net profit fell 73% in Q4.
—Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 19 Apr. 2024
Its most recent set of accounts, covering the year to 30 June 2023, show the company made a profit of £56,620 ($70,600).
—Patrick Smith, NBC News, 18 Apr. 2024
While money keeps pouring into AI, very few companies are turning a profit on the tech, which remains hugely expensive to build and run.
—Gerrit De Vynck, Washington Post, 18 Apr. 2024
Its fourth-quarter operating profits plunged almost 35% from a year earlier.
—Rocio Fabbro, Quartz, 18 Apr. 2024
Figures released Monday by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement show the nine casinos collectively reported a gross operating profit of $744.7 million in 2023, a decline of 1.6% from 2022.
—Wayne Parry, Fortune, 9 Apr. 2024
Sharon Lafraniere, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2024
Skye Lazaro The chilling case of a once-beloved author accused of profiting off her own violent crime has captivated true-crime enthusiasts in the year since she was arrested for her husband's murder.
—CBS News, 27 Mar. 2024
While many biotech and pharmaceutical competitors have popped up hoping to profit, the public likely associates at least one of the following four brand names for GLP-1 drugs: Ozempic, Mounjaro, Wegovy or Zepbound (and in that order, according to Google Trends over the last 90 days).
—Sarah Whitmire, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
Initial hopes about how much revenue and profit a cannabis retailer could make, Snyder said, were unrealistic.
—Marisa Gerber, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2024
Those cuts have saved the industry more than $3 billion since the 1990s, the news organizations found, allowing timber companies to profit at the expense of rural communities.
—Rob Davis, ProPublica, 18 Mar. 2024
Those who survived the brutal voyage ended up toiling on plantations in the Americas, mostly in Brazil and the Caribbean, while others profited from their labour.
—Reuters, NBC News, 27 Mar. 2024
Utah law prohibits anyone convicted of murder from profiting financially off their crime.
—CBS News, 27 Mar. 2024
In the new survey, almost half of managers (48%) reported that their companies would profit from replacing swaths of human workers with tools.
—Chloe Berger, Fortune, 25 Mar. 2024
Noun
Benzinga The Nasdaq 100's technology stocks wrapped up their fourth consecutive week in the red, marking the most dismal stretch and sharpest declines since late 2022, as investors opted to pocket profits amid mounting concerns over inflation and geopolitical tensions.
—Detroit Free Press, 20 Apr. 2024
Pryor also took on pharmaceutical firms that were making hefty profits from government contracts.
—Frank E. Lockwood, arkansasonline.com, 20 Apr. 2024
As part of the reopening, all profits through Monday will go to Castellanos’ 1-year-old daughter, Everlyn, and family.
—Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 19 Apr. 2024
Last year, Samsung posted its weakest financial year in over a decade, with the Wall Street Journal reporting that net profit fell 73% in Q4.
—Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 19 Apr. 2024
Its most recent set of accounts, covering the year to 30 June 2023, show the company made a profit of £56,620 ($70,600).
—Patrick Smith, NBC News, 18 Apr. 2024
While money keeps pouring into AI, very few companies are turning a profit on the tech, which remains hugely expensive to build and run.
—Gerrit De Vynck, Washington Post, 18 Apr. 2024
Its fourth-quarter operating profits plunged almost 35% from a year earlier.
—Rocio Fabbro, Quartz, 18 Apr. 2024
Figures released Monday by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement show the nine casinos collectively reported a gross operating profit of $744.7 million in 2023, a decline of 1.6% from 2022.
—Wayne Parry, Fortune, 9 Apr. 2024
Verb
A number of presidents tried to steer clear of the appearance of profiting off their position by voluntarily putting their assets and investments in blind trusts.
—Sharon Lafraniere, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2024
Skye Lazaro The chilling case of a once-beloved author accused of profiting off her own violent crime has captivated true-crime enthusiasts in the year since she was arrested for her husband's murder.
—CBS News, 27 Mar. 2024
While many biotech and pharmaceutical competitors have popped up hoping to profit, the public likely associates at least one of the following four brand names for GLP-1 drugs: Ozempic, Mounjaro, Wegovy or Zepbound (and in that order, according to Google Trends over the last 90 days).
—Sarah Whitmire, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
Initial hopes about how much revenue and profit a cannabis retailer could make, Snyder said, were unrealistic.
—Marisa Gerber, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2024
Those cuts have saved the industry more than $3 billion since the 1990s, the news organizations found, allowing timber companies to profit at the expense of rural communities.
—Rob Davis, ProPublica, 18 Mar. 2024
Those who survived the brutal voyage ended up toiling on plantations in the Americas, mostly in Brazil and the Caribbean, while others profited from their labour.
—Reuters, NBC News, 27 Mar. 2024
Utah law prohibits anyone convicted of murder from profiting financially off their crime.
—CBS News, 27 Mar. 2024
In the new survey, almost half of managers (48%) reported that their companies would profit from replacing swaths of human workers with tools.
—Chloe Berger, Fortune, 25 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'profit.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Articles Related to profit
Dictionary Entries Near profit
Cite this Entry
“Profit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/profit. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
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