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
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
Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 25 Mar. 2026
The company would then charge more for those loans to ensure profit even in cases where borrowers ultimately failed to keep up with payments, according to internal emails and a slide deck that described findings in the multistate investigation.
—Conrad Wilson, ProPublica, 25 Mar. 2026
Marley Malenfant, Austin American Statesman, 20 Mar. 2026
Rapino said the policy is intended to cut down on other ticketing companies profiting off of them.
—Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 19 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for profit
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Noun
The House bill, which takes aim at members of Congress and executive branch officials like the president, seeks to take the potential for profit out of decision-making by public officials.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 25 Mar. 2026
The company would then charge more for those loans to ensure profit even in cases where borrowers ultimately failed to keep up with payments, according to internal emails and a slide deck that described findings in the multistate investigation.
—Conrad Wilson, ProPublica, 25 Mar. 2026
Verb
The central legal argument was whether the owner and operator profited from the poker matches being played.
—Marley Malenfant, Austin American Statesman, 20 Mar. 2026
Rapino said the policy is intended to cut down on other ticketing companies profiting off of them.
—Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 19 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for profit
Cite this Entry
“Profit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/profit. Accessed 26 Mar. 2026.
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