Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense profits, present participle profiting, past tense, past participle profited
1. variable noun
A profit is an amount of money that you gain when you are paid more for something than itcost you to make, get, or do it.
The bank made pre-tax profits of £3.5 million.
You can improve your chances of profit by sensible planning.
The profit motive is inherently at odds with principles of fairness and equity.
Synonyms: earnings, winnings, return, revenue More Synonyms of profit
2. verb
If you profitfrom something, you earn a profit from it.
Footballers are accustomed to profiting handsomely from bonuses. [V + from/by]
He has profited by selling his holdings to other investors. [Vfrom/by n/-ing]
The dealers profited shamefully at the expense of my family. [VERB]
Synonyms: make money, clear up, gain, earn More Synonyms of profit
3. verb
If you profitfrom something, or it profits you, you gain some advantage or benefit from it.
[formal]
Jennifer wasn't yet totally convinced that she'd profit from a more relaxed lifestyle. [V + from/by]
So far the French alliance had profited the rebels little. [VERB noun]
Whom would it profit to terrify or to kill this man? [VERB noun to-infinitive]
Synonyms: benefit, help, serve, aid More Synonyms of profit
Profit is also a noun.
The artist found much to his profit in the Louvre.
More Synonyms of profit
profit in British English
(ˈprɒfɪt)
noun
1. (often plural)
excess of revenues over outlays and expenses in a business enterprise over a given period of time, usually a year
2.
the monetary gain derived from a transaction
3.
a.
income derived from property or an investment, as contrasted with capital gains
b.
the ratio of this income to the investment or principal
4. economics
a.
the income or reward accruing to a successful entrepreneur and held to be the motivating factor of all economic activity in a capitalist economy
b.
(as modifier)
the profit motive
5.
a gain, benefit, or advantage
verb
6.
to gain or cause to gain profit
Derived forms
profiter (ˈprofiter)
noun
profitless (ˈprofitless)
adjective
Word origin
C14: from Latin prōfectus advance, from prōficere to make progress; see proficient
profit in American English
(ˈprɑfɪt)
noun
1.
advantage; gain; benefit
2. [often pl.]
a.
monetary gain from business transactions
b.
the ratio of this to the amount of capital invested
c.
proceeds from property or investments
3. [often pl.]
the sum remaining after all costs, direct and indirect, are deducted from the income of a business, the selling price, etc.
verb intransitive
4.
to be of advantage or benefit
5.
to reap an advantage, financial or otherwise; benefit
verb transitive
6.
to be of profit or advantage to
Derived forms
profitless (ˈprofitless)
adjective
Word origin
OFr < L profectus, pp. of proficere, to profit, lit., to advance: see proficient
profit in Retail
(prɒfɪt)
Word forms: (regular plural) profits
noun
(Retail: Management accounts)
Profit is the amount of money you gain when you sell something for more than you paid forit.
Overall sales have increased over the period, but profits are being squeezed by heavy discounting.
The growth stage is the stage of a product's lifecycle when sales rise rapidly andprofits reach a peak, and then start to decline.
Profit is the amount of money you gain when you sell something for more than you paid forit.
profit center, profit margin
profit in Accounting
(prɒfɪt)
Word forms: (regular plural) profits
noun
(Accounting: Basic)
Profit is the amount by which revenues are more than expenses in a business enterprise overa given period of time.
Exports produce the bulk of corporate profits, even though domestic consumption accounts for about 60 percent of GDP.
The bank made pre-tax profits of $6.5 million.
Profit is the amount by which revenues are more than expenses in a business enterprise overa given period of time.
net profit, operating profit, profit center, profit margin
ProfitsThere is a list of compound nouns containing the word profit at the beginning of this entry. The following are also words connected with receivingprofit and income.capital gainearningsgain on salemarginreceiptssurplusyield
Examples of 'profit' in a sentence
profit
Profits earned by the owners of capital need to be recorded where they are earned.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
Attempts to diversify its business led to profit warnings last year.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
It prompted claims from unions that the company was profiting from the situation.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
He said that the firm would reinvest much of its profits into technology.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
It added price rises would hit activity and profits may be squeezed.
The Sun (2016)
Of course drugs manufacturers must make a reasonable profit to fund their research.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
They have further hammered bank profits by wiping out the margin made on deposits.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The retailer said that it wanted to improve profits by ensuring that all invoices are processed so they are paid on time and in full.
Computing (2010)
Employers, who enjoy lower labour costs and higher profits, and the immigrants themselves.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Halfway pre-tax profits exceeded expectations but were still off by almost 20 per cent.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Yet simply earning a profit is an incomplete organizational objective.
Christianity Today (2000)
You can deduct costs from your profit.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Investors see potentially large profits in the businesses that help consumers shut out the online world.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
They must derive a large proportion of their profits from rental income.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
The workers decide how much of the profits to share and how much to invest.
O'Connor, Joseph & Seymour, John Training with N.L.P. (1994)
The company attributed the drop in profits to increased investment and a rise in newsprint prices.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Whether there is such a thing as a profit motive at all is highly doubtful.
Peter F. Drucker THE ESSENTIAL DRUCKER (2001)
The survey showed that profit expectations had also weakened while pricing pressures were flat.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Firms have an incentive to enter if the existing firms are earning positive economic profits.
Miller, Roger LeRoy & Fishe, Raymond P. H. Microeconomics: Price Theory in Practice (1995)
They can undercut the competition or take the currency gain in higher profits.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
In such a society and only in such a society did tools become capital that yielded profit.
Hunt, E. K. Property and Prophets: The Evolution of Economic Institutions and Ideologies (1995)
Or is it to boost its profits at the expense of suckers like me?
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Yet profits from this activity almost halved last year.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
But it would also entail shrinking the banks to maximise profits.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
The objective is to reduce costs and to improve profits.
A Conceptual View of Human Resource Management: Strategic Objectives, Environments,Functions
They represent the means by which the company earns its profits.
Harrison, John Finance for the Non-Financial Manager (1989)
Fashion is far from the only business that puts profit before welfare.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
The data do not show whether the universities are making a profit from that income.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Who will profit from cutting costs?
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
The company has been trading at a loss because so far such profits have been cancelled by writedowns on its investment portfolio.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
We only make 4% profit because we invest millions.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
He decided to put increasing membership and activity above profit - he still does.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Profits so far this year are in line with expectations, with the residential side trading well.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Yet a tax avoidance scheme helped the PM's family profit in the past.
The Sun (2016)
In other languages
profit
British English: profit /ˈprɒfɪt/ NOUN
A profit is an amount of money that you gain when you are paid more for something than it cost you.
The bank made a huge profit.
American English: profit
Arabic: رِبْح
Brazilian Portuguese: lucro
Chinese: 利润
Croatian: dobitak
Czech: zisk
Danish: profit
Dutch: winst
European Spanish: beneficios
Finnish: taloudellinen voitto
French: bénéfices
German: Gewinn money
Greek: κέρδος
Italian: guadagno
Japanese: 収益
Korean: 이익
Norwegian: fortjeneste
Polish: zysk
European Portuguese: lucro
Romanian: profit
Russian: прибыль
Latin American Spanish: beneficios
Swedish: vinst
Thai: ผลกำไร
Turkish: kazanç
Ukrainian: прибуток
Vietnamese: lợi nhuận
British English: profit VERB
If you profit from something, you earn a profit from it.
Athletes are accustomed to profiting handsomely from bonuses.
American English: profit
Brazilian Portuguese: lucrar
Chinese: 从…中 获利
European Spanish: beneficiarse de
French: profiter
German: profitieren
Italian: ricavare un profitto
Japanese: 利益を得る
Korean: 이익을 거두다
European Portuguese: lucrar
Latin American Spanish: beneficiarse de
All related terms of 'profit'
for-profit
initiated or operated for the purpose of making a profit
net profit
gross profit minus all operating costs not included in the calculation of gross profit, esp wages , overheads , and depreciation
non-profit
A non-profit organization is one which is not run with the aim of making a profit .
gross profit
the difference between total revenue from sales and the total cost of purchases or materials , with an adjustment for stock
paper profit
an investment profit which has occurred but not yet been realized
profit center
A profit center is a part of a company that is responsible for its own costs and profits.
profit centre
a unit or department of a company that is responsible for its costs and its profits
profit-making
A profit-making business or organization makes a profit.
profit margin
A profit margin is the difference between the selling price of a product and the cost of producing and marketing it.
profit motive
the incentive or desire to work or form a business in order to gain profit or make financial gains
profit taking
Profit-taking is the selling of stocks and shares at a profit after their value has risen or just before their value falls.
negative profit
a financial loss
profit-seeking
attempting to make a profit or financial gains
profit-sharing
Profit-sharing is a system by which all the people who work in a company have a share in its profits.
profit squeeze
difficulty in maintaining the same amount of profit as previously, due to rising costs , increased competition , etc
profit warning
a public announcement made by a company to shareholders and others warning that profits for a stated period will be much lower than had been expected
windfall profit
a profit that arises thanks to an external event over which the person profiting had no control
anticipated profit
the profit that one expects to make from a deal, transaction , or project
not-for-profit
→ nonprofit
operating profit
the profit of a company, etc, after it deducts its operating costs or the costs necessary to conduct the business
non-profit-making
A non-profit-making organization or charity is not run with the intention of making a profit.
preacquisition profit
the retained profit of a company earned before a takeover and therefore not eligible for distribution as a dividend to the shareholders of the acquiring company
profit and loss
an account compiled at the end of a financial year showing that year's revenue and expense items and indicating gross and net profit or loss
gross profit margin
A gross profit margin is a measure of the profitability of a company , that is calculated by dividing gross profit by net sales .
profit-sharing scheme
a scheme employing profit-sharing ; a system in which a portion of the net profit of a business is distributed to its employees , usually in proportion to their wages or their length of service
profit and loss account
an account compiled at the end of a financial year showing that year's revenue and expense items and indicating gross and net profit or loss
profit and loss statement
A profit and loss statement is a statement that is compiled at the end of a financial year showing that year's revenue and expense items and indicating gross and net profit or loss.
new business profit margin
A new business profit margin is a system used by insurers to measure the cost of and profit from writing new policies .
not-for-profit organization
an organization that is not intended to make a profit , esp one set up to provide a public service
P & L
profit and loss
revenue account
an account compiled at the end of a financial year showing that year's revenue and expense items and indicating gross and net profit or loss
Chinese translation of 'profit'
profit
(ˈprɔfɪt)
n(c/u)
利润(潤) (lìrùn)
vi
to profit from sth从(從)某事中获(獲)益 (cóng mǒushì zhōng huòyì)
to make a profit赚(賺)钱(錢) (zhuànqián)
to sell (sth) at a profit出售(某物)而获(獲)利 (chūshòu (mǒuwù) ér huòlì)