profit

1 of 2

noun

prof·​it ˈprä-fət How to pronounce profit (audio)
often attributive
1
: a valuable return : gain
2
: the excess of returns over expenditure in a transaction or series of transactions
especially : the excess of the selling price of goods over their cost
3
: net income usually for a given period of time
4
: the ratio of profit for a given year to the amount of capital invested or to the value of sales
5
: the compensation accruing to entrepreneurs for the assumption of risk in business enterprise as distinguished from wages or rent
profitless adjective
profitwise adverb

profit

2 of 2

verb

profited; profiting; profits

intransitive verb

1
: to be of service or advantage : avail
2
: to derive benefit : gain
3
: to make a profit

transitive verb

: to be of service to : benefit

Examples of profit in a Sentence

Noun The company made a profit this year. Profits are up from last year. There was a rise in profits this year. The profits from CD sales were donated to charity. The organization is not run for profit. The film made $1,000,000 in profit. The book can be read with profit by anyone who wants to understand how the system works. Verb It would profit him to take some computer classes. The company has profited by selling its products online. He profited greatly from his investments. The island profits from tourism. See More
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
On Wednesday, opening statements are slated to start in an Oakland federal courthouse in the long-running case at the intersection of Hollywood and Silicon Valley that threatens a portion of Disney’s profits for Beauty. Winston Cho, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Dec. 2023 Before the law, taxes were owed only on profits that were brought into the United States. Abbie Vansickle, New York Times, 5 Dec. 2023 If prices decline, investors buy shares back at the lower value and return them to the lender, taking the margin between the original share value and the new, lower value, as profit. Eli Tan, Washington Post, 5 Dec. 2023 Purdue would restructure itself as a public benefit company, with its profits used to make products that combat opioid addiction. Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 4 Dec. 2023 The court will hear arguments in Moore v. U.S., which challenges a piece of the 2017 tax law that imposed a one-time levy on profits that companies had accumulated outside the U.S. Richard Rubin, WSJ, 3 Dec. 2023 Some sought fame or academic recognition, others sought profit or revenge, and a few sought only amusement. Daniel T. Ksepka, Scientific American, 1 Dec. 2023 The board of directors that pushed Altman out represents a 501(c)(3) and holds as its mission the creation of general-use AI that will benefit mankind, not the generation of profit. Brian Contreras, Los Angeles Times, 22 Nov. 2023 The new rules would drop the requirement down to just $600 in profit. Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 22 Nov. 2023
Verb
Max Walker travels back to 1929 to apprehend a rogue time traveler planning to profit from the stock market crash. Jennifer Ouellette and Sean M. Carroll, Ars Technica, 24 Nov. 2023 The star also expresses her opinion that Jamie Lynn profited from her unhappiness. Clare Fisher, Peoplemag, 24 Nov. 2023 Some of the plaintiffs’ lawyers argue that insurance companies still stand to profit from the changes in Florida’s laws. Eli Tan, Washington Post, 12 Nov. 2023 In its most recent earnings report, for the three months ended in September, AMC swung to profit and saw its revenue climb thanks to the success of films such as Barbie and Oppenheimer. Caitlin Huston, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Nov. 2023 If the lot sells for over that price, the guarantor stands to profit. Carol Besler, Robb Report, 8 Nov. 2023 The oil companies are profiting from the same factor — higher prices — that is causing inflation. Robert Rapier, Forbes, 13 Nov. 2023 Most notably, Desi’s mother, who’d rather profit than protect her daughter. Holly Jones, Variety, 10 Nov. 2023 James' office says the Trumps profited by at least $250 million through the fraud, and are asking the judge to award the state an equivalent amount. Graham Kates, CBS News, 8 Nov. 2023 See More

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

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin profectus advance, profit, from proficere

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

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

Dictionary Entries Near profit

Cite this Entry

“Profit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/profit. Accessed 9 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

profit

1 of 2 noun
prof·​it ˈpräf-ət How to pronounce profit (audio)
1
: the gain or benefit from something
2
: the gain after all the expenses are subtracted from the amount received
profitless adjective

profit

2 of 2 verb
1
: to get some good out of something : gain
profit by experience
2
: to be of use to (someone) : benefit
an agreement that profited us all

Legal Definition

profit

noun
prof·​it
1
: gain in excess of expenditures: as
a
: the excess of the selling price of goods over their cost
b
: net income from a business, investment, or capital appreciation compare earnings, loss
2
: a benefit or advantage from the use of property

More from Merriam-Webster on profit

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