in the red
idiom
: spending and owing more money than is being earned
Apparently the company had been in the red for some time before it went out of business.
Examples of in the red in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The family’s 2005 leveraged buyout placed a club that had previously been debt-free since 1931 in the red for £580m. United’s debt pile stands at £731.5m, not including more than £300m owed in transfer fees to other clubs.
—
Adam Crafton, New York Times, 12 May 2025
CommonSpirit landed in the red by $581 million, or about 1.5%, in the fiscal year that ended in June.
—Meg Wingerter, Denver Post, 12 May 2025
And of course, there’s the Original Sacher-Torte, still served on silver trays in the red velvet café, still capable of stirring delight.
—Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 24 Apr. 2025
Put it all together, and even with last Wednesday’s massive gains and a few subsequent positive sessions, the S & P 500 remains firmly in the red for 2025.
—Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 16 Apr. 2025
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Adam Crafton, New York Times, 12 May 2025
CommonSpirit landed in the red by $581 million, or about 1.5%, in the fiscal year that ended in June.
—Meg Wingerter, Denver Post, 12 May 2025
And of course, there’s the Original Sacher-Torte, still served on silver trays in the red velvet café, still capable of stirring delight.
—Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 24 Apr. 2025
Put it all together, and even with last Wednesday’s massive gains and a few subsequent positive sessions, the S & P 500 remains firmly in the red for 2025.
—Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 16 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for in the red
Cite this Entry
“In the red.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/in%20the%20red. Accessed 23 May. 2025.
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