black
adjective
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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)
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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)
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or in Vietnam Da \ ˈdä
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river 500 miles (805 kilometers) long in southeastern Asia rising in central Yunnan, China, and flowing southeast to the Red River in northern Vietnam
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Other Words from black
Adjective
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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
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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
Ever practical, Kate opted to wear a green jacket, a mockneck sweater from J.Crew, and black jeans for her day in the park. — Chloe Foussianes, Town & Country, "Kate Middleton Wears a Casual-Chic Look to Visit with U.K. Scouts," 28 Mar. 2019 The All-new Kindle will come in white and black case colors. — Melissa Riofrio, PCWorld, "Amazon's All-new Kindle for $89.99 is priced for budget users," 20 Mar. 2019 Among seasonal offerings, Slimane built a core collection available year round: perfecto jackets, skinny black jeans, simple blazers, Chelsea boots. — Alexandra Marshall, WSJ, "Exclusive: Step Inside YSL’s New Parisian Headquarters," 15 Feb. 2019 His typical uniform is a short gray blazer and black jeans. — Nicole Brodeur, The Seattle Times, "This Seattle concierge has secrets he won’t tell," 23 Jan. 2019 When dark hair is used, these knots appear as small black dots that are super noticeable, particularly where the unit is parted. — Shammara Lawrence, Allure, "6 Common Wig Mistakes People Make and How to Fix Them," 21 Mar. 2019 After two fatal police shootings of black men and a subsequent sniper attack on police in Mr. Ryan’s initial days at the helm, the Boston native responded by asking staff to gather for a series of conversations about race across the firm’s offices. — Vanessa Fuhrmans, WSJ, "This Boss Is Making Race Relations a Business Matter," 13 Mar. 2019 Ceramic really is luxurious Samsung has been using premium materials in its phones for several years now, and the S10+ does it again with the introduction of a new ceramic finish in white or black. — Michael Simon, PCWorld, "10 Samsung Galaxy S10, S10e, and S10+ features that actually surprised us," 20 Feb. 2019 In today's racial climate, being a young black man has proven to be life-threatening. — Maya Allen, Marie Claire, "Kelly Rowland's New Music Video Shatters Beauty Standards," 6 Feb. 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Yes, the snack of choice for everyone's favorite kind of black-and-white bear is also spun and woven into bedding. — Hadley Keller, House Beautiful, "This Is the Direct-to-Consumer Bedding You Should Buy," 5 Mar. 2019 Her hyperactive black-and-white writing flashes on mobile LED screens, with text popping in the awful rapid fire of semiautomatic weapons. — Allie Holloway, Harper's BAZAAR, "Sarah Chadwick, Laura Dern, & Diane Kruger Fight for Gun Violence Prevention," 20 Feb. 2019 Later in the day, Demi appeared in an Instagram story shared by Stella McCartney, who wore a berry-red ensemble by the designer for the festivities at the castle, before changing again into all-black later that evening. — Lucy Wood, Marie Claire, "Inside Princess Eugenie's Royal Wedding Reception, After Some Guests Break the Strict Social Media Ban," 13 Oct. 2018 Visitors are then guided through the space by rays of light which illuminate the walls, clad with gold and matte-black painted tools, and display cases containing the jewelry collections. — Sara Kennedy, The Seattle Times, "Cartier pop-up — in a gold shipping container — coming to Seattle," 18 Sep. 2018 Inside, rolling mahogany cabinets allow the owner to change the living, working, and dining configurations, while a polished black-and-white granite floor is used throughout. — Megan Barber, Curbed, "Mies-inspired glass house could be yours for $575K," 10 Sep. 2018 The ASOS Wiggle maternity dress is $60 and comes in black, just like Meghan's. — Kayleigh Roberts, Marie Claire, "Meghan Markle's $56 ASOS Dress Is Back in Stock in Time for Christmas," 17 Dec. 2018 The black was an outlier, though; most of Hu’s dresses are bursting with color. — Emily Farra, Vogue, "Caroline Hu Is Our First Discovery of NYFW—And Her Dresses Belong at the Oscars," 10 Feb. 2019 For so long, the film industry has only been able to conceive of black, brown, and Asian woman as ancillary parts to white narratives. — Kyndall Cunningham, Glamour, "The Oscar Race Is All About Gaga vs. Glenn—But What About Women of Color?," 22 Jan. 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.
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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:
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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)
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