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profit definition

profit (präf′it)

noun

  1. advantage; gain; benefit
    1. monetary gain from business transactions
    2. the ratio of this to the amount of capital invested
    3. proceeds from property or investments
  3. the sum remaining after all costs, direct and indirect, are deducted from the income of a business, the selling price, etc.

Etymology: OFr < L profectus, pp. of proficere, to profit, lit., to advance: see proficient

intransitive verb

  1. to be of advantage or benefit
  2. to reap an advantage, financial or otherwise; benefit

transitive verb

to be of profit or advantage to

Related Forms:

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:

business profit definition - business

finance profit definition - finance

law profit definition - legal

profit Synonyms

profit

n.

  1. Advantage

    avail, good, value; see advantage 3.

  2. Excess of receipts over expenditures

    gain, return(s), proceeds, receipts, take*, gate*, emolument*, acquisition*, rake-off*, accumulation*, saving*, aggrandizement, augmentation*, interest*, remuneration*, earnings. *

    Antonyms loss*, debits, costs.


profit

v.

  1. To be of benefit

    benefit, assist, avail; see help 1.

  2. To derive gain

    benefit, capitalize on, cash in on, realize, clear, gain, reap profits, make a profit, recover, thrive, prosper, harvest, make money.

    Antonyms lose*, lose out on, miss out on.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

profit Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • operate: Sales revenues forged ahead, growing 19 % year on year whilst operating profit increased by 15 % .

Adjective modifier

  • pre-tax: The company made £ 83 million pre-tax profit last year.

Modifies a noun

  • margin: With similar price declines expected, the squeeze on profit margins looks set to continue.

Noun used with modifier

  • operating: Operating profits increased by 17 % to £ 47 million.

Preposition: before

  • taxation: Taxation As in 2003, the tax provision exceeds the profit before taxation shown in the statutory accounts.

Preposition: of

  • pound: Ellis & Everard announced pre-tax profits of 32 million pounds for the year ending April 1999.
profit usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

profit quotes

Fures fores, frugi intro! Thieves out, profit in!

-Anonymous

In all labour there is profit: but thetalkof the lips tendeth only to penury.

-Bible (Old Testament)

Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all isvanity.What profit hatha manof all his labour which he taketh under the sun? One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever.

-Bible (Old Testament)

profit quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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MLA Style

"profit." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 4 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/profit>

APA Style

profit. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 4th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/profit

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