red ink

noun

1
: a business loss : deficit
2
: the condition of showing a business loss

Examples of red ink in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
While healthcare broadly has grossly underperformed the market (about 40% to the S&P 500’s doubling) in that time, BMY has been even worse, sitting on about 25% in red ink on a price basis, and a 10% loss even with dividends included. Brett Owens, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025 Another project dripping red ink involves the Walt Whitman Bridge between Philadelphia and New Jersey, which began in 2013 and is yet to be completed despite having received more than $1 billion in federal money. Editorial, Boston Herald, 31 Aug. 2025 Sacramento is staring at $44 million in red ink, while the City of Orange had to cut tens of millions from their budget in order to balance it for this fiscal year. Diane Dixon, Oc Register, 25 Aug. 2025 Disney’s theme parks, which had a few wobbly quarters, blew past Wall Street estimates as streaming profits advanced in the June quarter, vying with red ink at the film studio and declines at linear networks. Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 6 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for red ink

Word History

Etymology

from the use of red ink in financial statements to indicate a loss

First Known Use

1926, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of red ink was in 1926

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Red ink.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/red%20ink. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

red ink

noun
1
: a business loss
2
: the condition of showing a business loss
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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