1
a
: the essential or salient point : crux
b
: the primary or most important consideration
2
a
: the line at the bottom of a financial report that shows the net profit or loss
b
: financial considerations (such as cost or profit or loss)
c
: the final result
Synonyms
Examples of bottom-line in a Sentence
Noun
If our flight is late, we will miss our connection. That's the bottom line.
A student with special needs can stress a school's budget, but the bottom line is that the state must provide for the child's education.
How will these changes affect our bottom line?
He's always got his eye on the bottom line.
He says his bottom line is $120,000.
Recent Examples on the Web
Alexa Mikhail, Fortune Well, 21 Nov. 2023
But by the simple math of Hollywood’s true bottom line, there’s no other way to say it: The strikes waged by the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA were a short-term financial gift to studio conglomerates that had already been listing because of streaming losses.
—Joe Otterson, Variety, 21 Nov. 2023
Net income was down 5% on-year, better than expectations of an 8% decline, but trends in the quarter were bad enough that Best Buy lowered its guidance for the full year on the top and bottom lines.
—Jinjoo Lee, WSJ, 21 Nov. 2023
The bottom line, for now, is that the story is murky.
—Joshua Rothman, The New Yorker, 21 Nov. 2023
The results even found that reducing employees’ working hours had a positive impact on the bottom line: Company revenue increased by 35% when compared to the same six-month period in 2021.
—Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 20 Nov. 2023
The bottom line is that tackling Delhi’s air pollution or addressing slowdown in climate policy requires resolving the tension between local costs and non-local benefits.
—Nives Dolsak and Aseem Prakash, Forbes, 13 Nov. 2023
Her being right about the scenes didn’t matter to his bottom line, which required him to do justice to Pollack’s memory while assuaging Streisand’s worries over creative injustice.
—Wesley Morris, New York Times, 7 Nov. 2023
When you get paid, wanting to focus on the bottom line — how much hits your bank account — is understandable.
—Michelle Singletary, Washington Post, 27 Oct. 2023
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Noun
Not to be mistaken as a cushiony workplace perk, psychologically safe workplaces are vital for the bottom line—improving company culture, mitigating burnout, and retaining workers.
—Alexa Mikhail, Fortune Well, 21 Nov. 2023
But by the simple math of Hollywood’s true bottom line, there’s no other way to say it: The strikes waged by the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA were a short-term financial gift to studio conglomerates that had already been listing because of streaming losses.
—Joe Otterson, Variety, 21 Nov. 2023
Net income was down 5% on-year, better than expectations of an 8% decline, but trends in the quarter were bad enough that Best Buy lowered its guidance for the full year on the top and bottom lines.
—Jinjoo Lee, WSJ, 21 Nov. 2023
The bottom line, for now, is that the story is murky.
—Joshua Rothman, The New Yorker, 21 Nov. 2023
The results even found that reducing employees’ working hours had a positive impact on the bottom line: Company revenue increased by 35% when compared to the same six-month period in 2021.
—Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 20 Nov. 2023
The bottom line is that tackling Delhi’s air pollution or addressing slowdown in climate policy requires resolving the tension between local costs and non-local benefits.
—Nives Dolsak and Aseem Prakash, Forbes, 13 Nov. 2023
Her being right about the scenes didn’t matter to his bottom line, which required him to do justice to Pollack’s memory while assuaging Streisand’s worries over creative injustice.
—Wesley Morris, New York Times, 7 Nov. 2023
When you get paid, wanting to focus on the bottom line — how much hits your bank account — is understandable.
—Michelle Singletary, Washington Post, 27 Oct. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bottom-line.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Dictionary Entries Near bottom-line
Cite this Entry
“Bottom-line.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bottom-line. Accessed 5 Dec. 2023.
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