black
adjective
\
Definition of black
(Entry 1 of 6)
b or Black
black
nounDefinition of black (Entry 2 of 6)
black
verbDefinition of black (Entry 3 of 6)
Black
biographical name (1)
\
Definition of Black (Entry 4 of 6)
Black
biographical name (2)Definition of Black (Entry 5 of 6)
Black
geographical nameDefinition of Black (Entry 6 of 6)
\
or in Vietnam Da \ ˈdä
\
river 500 miles (805 kilometers) long in southeastern Asia rising in central Yunnan, China, and flowing southeast to the Red River in northern Vietnam
Keep scrolling for more
Other Words from black
Adjective
\
adjective
Synonyms & Antonyms for black
Synonyms: Adjective
ebony, pitch-black, pitch-dark, pitchy, raven, sable
Synonyms: Noun
blackness, candlelight, dark, darkness, dusk, gloaming, gloom, murk, night, semidarkness, shade, shadows, twilight, umbra
Antonyms: Adjective
Antonyms: Noun
blaze, brightness, brilliance, day, daylight, glare, glow, light, lightness
Visit the Thesaurus for More
Examples of black in a Sentence
Adjective
a little black dress blends into the night very wellNoun
The wall was painted in black. a mixture of grays and blacks She was dressed in black.Verb
He blacked his boots with polish. Labor union members have blacked the company.
Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective
The Edition 35 Years does get an M Sport exhaust system with tailpipes finished in black chrome. — Daniel Golson, Car and Driver, "The 2020 BMW M5 Edition 35 Years Has Insane Gold Interior Trim," 16 May 2019 Granite comes in a wide array of colors: vibrant blues and variegated browns, to midnight black, deep red and mottled white. — Joe Lindsey, Popular Mechanics, "The Best Countertop Materials," 9 May 2019 Everything is pretty much black, white, navy, or gray—super easy to switch in and out of. — Marina Liao, Marie Claire, "What I Wear to Work: Rachel Krupa, Founder of Krupa Consulting and The Goods Mart," 6 May 2019 Ladybugs: Roll red fondant into small balls, then shape black fondant into a flat disk and stick together. — Woman's Day Kitchen, Woman's Day, "Mother's Day Cookie Bouquet," 6 May 2019 From high- and low-waist bikinis to sleek one-pieces in colors like navy, red, black, and dusty pink, there's a little something for everyone. — Glamour, "Hatch Is Releasing New Maternity Swimwear—Just in Time for Summer," 30 Apr. 2019 Jessica Dowless indicated to BuzzFeed News that ballots for Democratic or black (or both) voters were a focus, but later seemed to walk that claim back. — Dylan Scott, Vox, "More evidence piles up in North Carolina election fraud scandal," 26 Dec. 2018 Most recently, Sheekilah Jones shared a video on Facebook of a black cat using a door knocker. — Taylor Mead, House Beautiful, "Passerby Catches Black Cat Brilliantly Using a Door Knocker in Viral Facebook Video," 28 Apr. 2019 The collection features porcelain trays, coasters, and boxes emblazoned with a silver hemp leaf on a black background or a sultry pair of red lips dangling a smoke. — Jennifer Milne, ELLE Decor, "In Time for 4/20, the Ultimate and Uber-Chic Weed Accessories from Jonathan Adler," 19 Apr. 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Grace Elizabeth transforms from a punk bride clad in black to a dreamy romantic in swaths of ruffles. — Carine Roitfeld, Harper's BAZAAR, "The modern bride is a rebel, a romantic, a maverick, a mother–and so much more.," 2 Apr. 2019 Decked out in black, the couple hammed it up for the photo crew, throwing in some surprise kisses as the cameras flashed. — Chris Payne, Billboard, "Ashlee Simpson Ross & Evan Ross Hit the Billboard Music Awards Red Carpet in Style," 20 May 2018 And all of it was executed without a fuss by a young waitstaff dressed in black. — Mike Sutter, San Antonio Express-News, "Review: McAdoo’s Seafood rides a strong wave in New Braunfels," 10 May 2018 The world just stops apart from the bloke in black. — SI.com, "World Cup Countdown: 7 Weeks to Go - Gazza's Tears, a Defining Moment in English Football," 7 May 2018 The share of blacks who voted climbed 10.8 percentage points to 51.4%, which... — The Editorial Board, WSJ, "The Voter Suppression Myth," 3 May 2019 The orange flames and column of grey and black smoke belching into the pale Parisian sky at dusk augured some new, inevitably lesser era—the near-death of one of the most iconic buildings of western civilization. — Klara Glowczewska, Town & Country, "Notre Dame Cathedral Will Never Be the Same—and That's Ok," 19 Apr. 2019 Back to that attention-grabbing Oral-B black-bristle toothbrush. — Laura Daily, The Seattle Times, "How charcoal escaped the grill and ended up in your bathroom," 12 Apr. 2019 Two parallel cactus needles, stained black, did the actual tattooing. — David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, "The United States' Oldest Tattoo Needle Is an Inked-Up Cactus Spine," 28 Feb. 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
Reddington recalled blacking in and out as someone called 911 for help. — Katherine Lam, Fox News, "Man accidentally shot by FBI agent in a Denver nightclub recalls bizarre incident," 10 June 2018 Reddington recalled blacking in and out as someone called 911 for help. — Katherine Lam, Fox News, "Man accidentally shot by FBI agent in a Denver nightclub recalls bizarre incident," 10 June 2018 Reddington recalled blacking in and out as someone called 911 for help. — Katherine Lam, Fox News, "Man accidentally shot by FBI agent in a Denver nightclub recalls bizarre incident," 10 June 2018 The collection is available in a range of three materials in Dell’Acqua's go-to pink and black, as well as Tod’s signature brown leather. — Isabel Greenberg, Harper's BAZAAR, "Tod’s Is Launching Their First Factory Capsule Collection with Alessandro Dell’Acqua," 19 Nov. 2018 Reddington recalled blacking in and out as someone called 911 for help. — Katherine Lam, Fox News, "Man accidentally shot by FBI agent in a Denver nightclub recalls bizarre incident," 10 June 2018 Reddington recalled blacking in and out as someone called 911 for help. — Katherine Lam, Fox News, "Man accidentally shot by FBI agent in a Denver nightclub recalls bizarre incident," 10 June 2018 Instead, Giuliani deflects to black-on-black crime. — Jeneé Osterheldt, kansascity, "Turn our anger into change," 25 Nov. 2014 In other words, will black and brown doulas be displaced? — Danielle Jackson, Longreads, "A Frustrating Year of Reporting on Black Maternal Health," 14 June 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'black.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for black
black
nounFinancial Definition of black
What It Is
Black is slang for profit. Profit, also called net income, is the amount remaining after all costs, depreciation, interest, taxes, and other expenses have been deducted from total sales. Profit is also referred to as the bottom line, net profit, or net earnings. The formula for profit is:
Total Sales - Total Expenses = Profit
Note that preferred stock dividends are typically included in the traditional net income calculation, but common stock dividends are not.
How It Works
Here is some information about Company XYZ for last year:
.png)
Using the formula and the information above, we can calculate that Company XYZ's profit was:
$1,000,000 - $500,000 - $300,000 - $100,000 - $5,000 + $1,000 - $10,000 - $10,000 = $76,000
This means that Company XYZ made $76,000 of profit last year. It was “in the black.”
Why It Matters
Philosophically speaking, being in the black is what motivates industry, entrepreneurship, and innovation. It is the very thing that enables people to feed themselves, clothe their families, create jobs, and set money aside for the future. It is not a vice, but rather an incentive to dream, take risks, and try harder. As Adam Smith, the founder of modern economics, put it, "It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker, that we can expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest.”
In the retail industry, companies often don’t become profitable until the fourth quarter, when Christmas shopping begins. This is the source of the term “Black Friday.”
Source: Investing Answers
black
adjective
English Language Learners Definition of black
(Entry 1 of 3)
black
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of black (Entry 2 of 3)
black
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of black (Entry 3 of 3)
See the full definition for black in the English Language Learners Dictionary
black
adjective
\
Kids Definition of black
(Entry 1 of 3)
black
nounKids Definition of black (Entry 2 of 3)
black
verbKids Definition of black (Entry 3 of 3)
Keep scrolling for more
Comments on black
What made you want to look up black? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Test Your Vocabulary
Time Traveler Quiz: Which Word Came First?
-
- Which came first?
Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!
TAKE THE QUIZ
Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZ
-
Time Traveler Quiz: Which Word Came First?
Which word entered the English language first?
Take the quiz -
Slippery Words Quiz—Changing with the Times
Do you know these earlier meanings of words?
Take the quiz -
How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?
Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!
Take the quiz -
Syn City
Build a city of skyscrapers—one synonym at a time.
Play the game
Share black
Resources for black