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.
So here’s the problem: Voters weren’t told that some of the money would be used for sopping up budget red ink. George Skelton, The Mercury News, 13 Mar. 2025 This is too cheap for a top prospect with so much red ink on his Statcast page. John Laghezza, The Athletic, 18 Feb. 2025 However, new data from Reason Foundation shows that California’s public schools have been slow to respond to the red ink and loss of students. Aaron Garth Smith, Orange County Register, 25 Jan. 2025 As the Treasury Department auctions greater volumes of debt to finance the federal government’s ocean of red ink, bond investors may balk, sending rates higher and raising borrowing costs across key segments of the economy, like mortgage rates. Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 6 Nov. 2024 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 2 May. 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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