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
profited; profiting; profits
: to be of service to : benefit
Synonyms
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.
Recent Examples on the Web
Wayne Parry, Fortune, 9 Apr. 2024
In our cover story, Shawn Tully traces the current woes of aeronautics giant Boeing to management’s effort, over decades, to squeeze out higher profits for shareholders.
—Alex Wood Morton, Fortune Europe, 9 Apr. 2024
The Coquille’s opponents are adamant that the tribe has falsified its historical ties to Medford — a three-hour drive from its coastal base — in pursuit of profit.
—Hannah Wiley, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2024
But amid no track record of streaming profits at Hollywood giants and WBD’s need to pay down debt and manage costs, some wonder about the future of streaming profits.
—Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Apr. 2024
The increase in value will continue to earn them a profit.
—Laurent Belsie, The Christian Science Monitor, 8 Apr. 2024
Prioritizing clients who spend heavily on other categories could also de-incentivize resellers looking to flip bags for a profit.
—Joan Kennedy, CNN, 8 Apr. 2024
Margolin suggested that doc producers and filmmakers refer to the Documentary Producers Alliance’s Documentary Waterfall Guidelines for guidance on how to structure the financing from the original budget through the allocation of net profits.
—Addie Morfoot, Variety, 6 Apr. 2024
Its developer, Forest City Ratner, predicted the arena would make a profit of about $35 million annually.
—Andrew Van Dam, Washington Post, 5 Apr. 2024
Sharon Lafraniere, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2024
Skye Lazaro The chilling case of a once-beloved author accused of profiting off her own violent crime has captivated true-crime enthusiasts in the year since she was arrested for her husband's murder.
—CBS News, 27 Mar. 2024
While many biotech and pharmaceutical competitors have popped up hoping to profit, the public likely associates at least one of the following four brand names for GLP-1 drugs: Ozempic, Mounjaro, Wegovy or Zepbound (and in that order, according to Google Trends over the last 90 days).
—Sarah Whitmire, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
Initial hopes about how much revenue and profit a cannabis retailer could make, Snyder said, were unrealistic.
—Marisa Gerber, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2024
Those cuts have saved the industry more than $3 billion since the 1990s, the news organizations found, allowing timber companies to profit at the expense of rural communities.
—Rob Davis, ProPublica, 18 Mar. 2024
Those who survived the brutal voyage ended up toiling on plantations in the Americas, mostly in Brazil and the Caribbean, while others profited from their labour.
—Reuters, NBC News, 27 Mar. 2024
Utah law prohibits anyone convicted of murder from profiting financially off their crime.
—CBS News, 27 Mar. 2024
In the new survey, almost half of managers (48%) reported that their companies would profit from replacing swaths of human workers with tools.
—Chloe Berger, Fortune, 25 Mar. 2024
Noun
Figures released Monday by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement show the nine casinos collectively reported a gross operating profit of $744.7 million in 2023, a decline of 1.6% from 2022.
—Wayne Parry, Fortune, 9 Apr. 2024
In our cover story, Shawn Tully traces the current woes of aeronautics giant Boeing to management’s effort, over decades, to squeeze out higher profits for shareholders.
—Alex Wood Morton, Fortune Europe, 9 Apr. 2024
The Coquille’s opponents are adamant that the tribe has falsified its historical ties to Medford — a three-hour drive from its coastal base — in pursuit of profit.
—Hannah Wiley, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2024
But amid no track record of streaming profits at Hollywood giants and WBD’s need to pay down debt and manage costs, some wonder about the future of streaming profits.
—Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Apr. 2024
The increase in value will continue to earn them a profit.
—Laurent Belsie, The Christian Science Monitor, 8 Apr. 2024
Prioritizing clients who spend heavily on other categories could also de-incentivize resellers looking to flip bags for a profit.
—Joan Kennedy, CNN, 8 Apr. 2024
Margolin suggested that doc producers and filmmakers refer to the Documentary Producers Alliance’s Documentary Waterfall Guidelines for guidance on how to structure the financing from the original budget through the allocation of net profits.
—Addie Morfoot, Variety, 6 Apr. 2024
Its developer, Forest City Ratner, predicted the arena would make a profit of about $35 million annually.
—Andrew Van Dam, Washington Post, 5 Apr. 2024
Verb
A number of presidents tried to steer clear of the appearance of profiting off their position by voluntarily putting their assets and investments in blind trusts.
—Sharon Lafraniere, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2024
Skye Lazaro The chilling case of a once-beloved author accused of profiting off her own violent crime has captivated true-crime enthusiasts in the year since she was arrested for her husband's murder.
—CBS News, 27 Mar. 2024
While many biotech and pharmaceutical competitors have popped up hoping to profit, the public likely associates at least one of the following four brand names for GLP-1 drugs: Ozempic, Mounjaro, Wegovy or Zepbound (and in that order, according to Google Trends over the last 90 days).
—Sarah Whitmire, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
Initial hopes about how much revenue and profit a cannabis retailer could make, Snyder said, were unrealistic.
—Marisa Gerber, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2024
Those cuts have saved the industry more than $3 billion since the 1990s, the news organizations found, allowing timber companies to profit at the expense of rural communities.
—Rob Davis, ProPublica, 18 Mar. 2024
Those who survived the brutal voyage ended up toiling on plantations in the Americas, mostly in Brazil and the Caribbean, while others profited from their labour.
—Reuters, NBC News, 27 Mar. 2024
Utah law prohibits anyone convicted of murder from profiting financially off their crime.
—CBS News, 27 Mar. 2024
In the new survey, almost half of managers (48%) reported that their companies would profit from replacing swaths of human workers with tools.
—Chloe Berger, Fortune, 25 Mar. 2024
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.
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Cite this Entry
“Profit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/profit. Accessed 17 Apr. 2024.
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