profitable

adjective

prof·​it·​able ˈprä-fə-tə-bəl How to pronounce profitable (audio)
ˈpräf-tə-bəl
: affording profits : yielding advantageous returns or results
profitability noun
profitableness noun
profitably adverb

Examples of profitable in a Sentence

The movie was very profitable. selling real estate on the side turned out to be a profitable venture for the stay-at-home mom
Recent Examples on the Web But this shipment of .50-cal rounds for Battle Born Munitions was profitable, according to Brown. Nick Penzenstadler, USA TODAY, 8 Sep. 2023 But on the other side, the guys who are really good at that are really bad at building streaming business models that are profitable. Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 7 Sep. 2023 Patrick Wilson makes his directorial debut with this fifth installment of the hugely profitable horror series, last visited in 2018′s Insidious: The Last Key. Dallasnews.com Staff, Dallas News, 7 Sep. 2023 And at the moment, these ventures are not profitable. Abc News, ABC News, 2 Sep. 2023 More hosts, concerned about the risk of penalties or legal costs, are focusing on month-to-month rentals, which can be less profitable but aren’t as widely regulated. Natalie Lung, Fortune, 2 Sep. 2023 Several scholars have pointed to this phenomenon as a cause of gentrification driven by Airbnb, as homeowners convert what would otherwise be stable monthly housing into more profitable short-term rentals. WIRED, 2 Sep. 2023 Benson will be marrying into quite the family, as Davis is heir to a huge fortune left behind by his grandfather, that was built upon profitable deals across the oil and entertainment industries. Escher Walcott, Peoplemag, 30 Aug. 2023 The ads were profitable, netting more than $100 million annually. Richard Ruelas, The Arizona Republic, 29 Aug. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'profitable.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of profitable was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near profitable

Cite this Entry

“Profitable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/profitable. Accessed 27 Sep. 2023.

Kids Definition

profitable

adjective
prof·​it·​able ˈpräf-ət-ə-bəl How to pronounce profitable (audio)
ˈpräf-tə-bəl
: producing profit
profitably adverb

Legal Definition

profitable

adjective
prof·​it·​able ˈprä-fə-tə-bəl How to pronounce profitable (audio)
: affording profits : yielding advantageous returns or results
profitability noun
profitableness noun
profitably adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on profitable

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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