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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

profit Related Forms

prof′·it·less adjective

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 Synonyms

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.

profit Finance Definition

Income minus expenses, if income is greater than expenses. Profit also may be called net income in an informal sense. When looking at trading activity, profit occurs when the sale price of an investment is greater than the purchase price.

profit Law Definition

n

The amount of money received for goods and services minus the amount spent on same; excess revenue. See also profit à prendre.

profit Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • operate: Sales revenues forged ahead, growing 19 % year on year whilst operating profit increased by 15 % .
  • maximize: These forces will continue to insist that all production should be aimed at maximizing profit.
  • announce: Ellis & Everard announced pre-tax profits of 32 million pounds for the year ending April 1999.
  • generate: Last year, its 70,000 employees helped generate pre-tax profits of £ 350m.
  • earn: The group that earns the most profit at the end of the project is the winner.

Adjective modifier

  • pre-tax: The company made £ 83 million pre-tax profit last year.
  • taxable: Rentals can normally be offset against taxable profit * .
  • gross: Our retail energy supply gross profit grew by 14 % to £ 95 million.
  • net: Tax is then charged o the net rental income profit.
  • non: The Radon Council are a non profit making regulatory body for the radon industry.

Modifies a noun

  • margin: With similar price declines expected, the squeeze on profit margins looks set to continue.
  • motive: The hypothetical tenant in an ability to pay scenario is likely to have no profit motive.
  • maximization: Capital, on the other hand seeks profit maximization.
  • sharing: Stock bonus plan: A type of profit sharing plan, where contributions are made in the form of company stock.
  • warning: That is the equivalent of a finance director giving two profit warnings in a year.

Noun used with modifier

  • operating: Operating profits increased by 17 % to £ 47 million.
  • windfall: To add insult to injury, the scheme is proving a recipe for windfall profits.
  • trading: As a result we even posted a small overall trading profit for the year.

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.