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

Despite its revenue growth, SpaceX recorded an overall loss of $143 million over the three months ending in June, though the loss shrank from $970 million in red ink over the same period a year prior, the report showed. — Max Zahn, ABC News, 4 Aug. 2026

Heavy spending and declining market share led to billions of dollars in red ink. — Bloomberg, Mercury News, 24 July 2026

But while new subscription revenue no doubt helped the bottom line, growing ad revenue from the streamer’s hefty sports offerings likely figured into Peacock’s lack of red ink during the quarter. — Josef Adalian, Vulture, 23 July 2026

The segment delivered negative EBITDA of $252 million, much more red ink than in the year-ago period and more than estimates. — Zev Fima, CNBC, 22 July 2026

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

Rhymes for red ink

• bethink
• downlink
• groupthink
• hoodwink
• rethink
• uplink
• blink
• brink
• chink
• cinque
• clink
• dink

Kids Definition

red ink

noun

1

: a business loss

2

: the condition of showing a business loss