pecuniary gain resulting from the employment of capital in any transaction.Compare gross profit, net profit.
the ratio of such pecuniary gain to the amount of capital invested.
returns, proceeds, or revenue, as from property or investments.
the monetary surplus left to a producer or employer after deducting wages, rent, cost of raw materials, etc.: The company works on a small margin of profit.
advantage; benefit; gain.
verb (used without object)
to gain an advantage or benefit: He profited greatly from his schooling.
to make a profit.
to take advantage: to profit from the weaknesses of others.
to be of service or benefit.
to make progress.
verb (used with object)
to be of advantage or profit to: Nothing profits one so much as a sound education.
Origin of profit
1250–1300; (noun) Middle English <Middle French <Latin prōfectus progress, profit, equivalent to prō-pro-1 + -fec-, combining form of facere to make, do1 + -tus suffix of v. action; (v.) Middle English profiten, derivative of the noun
profile component, profile drag, profiler, profiling, Profilometer, profit, profitable, profit and loss, profit and loss account, profit center, profit centre
From mid-2019 to mid-2020, StarTech paid $30 billion in dividends, amounting to 14% of profits.
Will tech stocks stumble or slide? What the fundamentals tell us|Shawn Tully|September 16, 2020|Fortune
It has pledged to provide the vaccine on a not-for-profit basis during the pandemic and has lined up deals around the world to supply almost 3 billion doses.
AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine is back on track after getting the green light to resume trials in the U.K.|Bernhard Warner|September 13, 2020|Fortune
Fifty years ago, Milton Friedman in the New York Times magazine proclaimed that the social responsibility of business is to increase its profits.
50 years later, Milton Friedman’s shareholder doctrine is dead|jakemeth|September 13, 2020|Fortune
The first for-profit corporation in the ranking — KeyBank, with 4,800 employees — is No.
The Big Corporate Rescue and the America That’s Too Small to Save|by Lydia DePillis, Justin Elliott and Paul Kiel|September 12, 2020|ProPublica
Meanwhile, the stock market is at a record high, and corporations like Walmart, Target, and Amazon have seen their profits spike 80% to 100%.
How we can save small business from coronavirus-induced extinction|matthewheimer|September 10, 2020|Fortune
Together, the teams are working 24 hours a day for a product that promises much higher risk than it does profit.
The Race for the Ebola Vaccine|Abby Haglage|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
She is using this technique, which generations of African-Americans have used for survival, for fame and profit.
The Cultural Crimes of Iggy Azalea|Amy Zimmerman|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Marx forecast that the profit motive would lead to overworking and exhausting the fertility of our soil and other natural systems.
American Democracy Under Threat for 250 Years|Jedediah Purdy|December 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Last year, Jet Blue made a profit of $168 million, $40 million more than the previous year.
Flying Coach Is the New Hell: How Airlines Engineer You Out of Room|Clive Irving|November 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They have to fill every seat—in most cases the profit comes in only the final three rows of seats.
Flying Coach Is the New Hell: How Airlines Engineer You Out of Room|Clive Irving|November 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As we plodded along he talked about his cattle ranch, the price of cattle, and what profit he had made that year.
The Burglar's Fate And The Detectives|Allan Pinkerton
The old Fleming found, no doubt, both pleasure and profit in lending himself to the capricious pleasures of his royal client.
Maitre Cornelius|Honore de Balzac
The annual balance sheet, however, would show the percentage of profit to the total outlay.
The life and teaching of Karl Marx|M. Beer
Between you and me, he swindled them, and beat us for 'extra' profit.
Scamping Tricks and Odd Knowledge|John Newman
So long as any profit exists, the State has a right to tax it; unjustly it may be, and partially, but still the title is there.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 68, No. 421, November 1850|Various
British Dictionary definitions for profit
profit
/ (ˈprɒfɪt) /
noun
(often plural)excess of revenues over outlays and expenses in a business enterprise over a given period of time, usually a year
the monetary gain derived from a transaction
income derived from property or an investment, as contrasted with capital gains
the ratio of this income to the investment or principal
economics
the income or reward accruing to a successful entrepreneur and held to be the motivating factor of all economic activity in a capitalist economy
(as modifier)the profit motive
a gain, benefit, or advantage
verb
to gain or cause to gain profit
Derived forms of profit
profiter, nounprofitless, adjective
Word Origin for profit
C14: from Latin prōfectus advance, from prōficere to make progress; see proficient