profit

American  

[prof-it] / ˈprɒf ɪt /

noun

• profits
  plural

1. 

   Often profits.

   1. pecuniary gain resulting from the employment of capital in any transaction.

   2. the ratio of such pecuniary gain to the amount of capital invested.

   3. returns, proceeds, or revenue, as from property or investments.

   Synonyms:

   return

   Antonyms:

   loss

2. 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.

   Synonyms:

   net income

3. advantage; benefit; gain.

   Synonyms:

   worth, use, avail, good

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verb (used without object)

• profits,
  present (3rd person singular)
• profited,
  past participle,  past
• profiting
  present participle

1. to gain an advantage or benefit.

   He profited greatly from his schooling.

2. to make a profit.

3. to take advantage.

   to profit from the weaknesses of others.

4. to be of service or benefit.

5. to make progress.

verb (used with object)

• profits,
  present (3rd person singular)
• profited,
  past participle,  past
• profiting
  present participle

1. to be of advantage or profit to.

   Nothing profits one so much as a sound education.

   Synonyms:

   help, advance

profit British  

/ 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. 1. income derived from property or an investment, as contrasted with capital gains

   2. the ratio of this income to the investment or principal

4. economics

   1. the income or reward accruing to a successful entrepreneur and held to be the motivating factor of all economic activity in a capitalist economy

   2. ( as modifier )

      the profit motive

5. a gain, benefit, or advantage

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verb

1. to gain or cause to gain profit

Usage

What are other ways to say profit? A profit is a gain or valuable return. How does it differ from an advantage or a benefit? Find out on Thesaurus.com. 

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• profiter
  noun
• profitlessness
  noun
• self-profit
  noun
• profitless
  adjective
• proprofit
  adjective
• unprofited
  adjective
• unprofiting
  adjective
• profitlessly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• profits
  plural

Participles

• profiting
  present
• profited
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• profit
  simple
• profits
  simple
• have profited
  perfect
• has profited
  perfect
• am profiting
  progressive
• are profiting
  progressive
• is profiting
  progressive
• have been profiting
  perfect progressive
• has been profiting
  perfect progressive

Past

• profited
  simple
• had profited
  perfect
• was profiting
  progressive
• were profiting
  progressive
• had been profiting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will profit
  simple
• will have profited
  perfect
• will be profiting
  progressive
• will have been profiting
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of profit

First recorded in 1250–1300; (for the noun) Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin prōfectus “progress, profit,” noun use of past participle of prōficere “to make progress,” from prō- pro- ¹ + -ficere, combining form of facere “to do, make” ( cf. fact); verb derivative of the noun

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Explanation

A profit is money you make, as opposed to money you lose. Also, anything good profits you — it benefits you. When we talk about profits, we're talking about coming out ahead. Businesses need to make a profit — money — or they'll have to fire employees, cut expenses, and maybe go out of business entirely. If more money is coming in than going out, that's a profit. Profit also means a benefit. For example, you could profit from playing baseball even if you made no money from it. Getting exercise and fun would profit anybody quite a bit.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

profit profits profited profiting

The online travel agency posted a third-quarter profit of $2.72 billion, or $3.61 a share, as revenue fell 1% to $8.89 billion.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2026

Its operating profit, though down 3% on the quarter, also beat projections.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 4, 2026

BMW said Wednesday that it would step up planned job cuts as it reported a drop in third-quarter profit, hit by cutthroat competition and falling demand in China, the world's largest car market.

From Barron's ● Nov. 4, 2026

The company lowered its 2026 expectations again after issuing a sharp profit warning in June, but it attributed the revision solely to the portfolio and strategic measures.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2026

That means he bought land that he had good reason to believe would soon become even more valuable—at which point he could sell it for a profit.

From "An Indigenous People’s History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

Novo started the year warning that profits could fall between 5% and 13%.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 4, 2026

They include promising wealth, high returns or a better lifestyle to tempt you into investing; raising expectations for unrealistic profits; and using titles, qualifications or positions of authority to gain your trust.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 3, 2026

Despite the slightly bleaker outlook, the group reported a 30-percent jump in profits for the July-September period, beating forecasts.

From Barron's ● Nov. 3, 2026

“Their decisions to delay or reduce investments in critical projects are particularly troubling given the billions of dollars in profits reported by their parent companies in recent years,” Perez wrote.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2026

Across the West Virginia state line, in Pennsylvania’s Alle-Kiski Valley, known as Black Valley, some of the richest corporations in America piled up profits.

From "Fannie Never Flinched" by Mary Cronk Farrell

The country profited for centuries from colonialism and slavery, but argues it also led the way in the latter's abolition.

From Barron's ● Oct. 31, 2026

Further, even among the few rental owners that profited, many found the time, effort, risk and aggravation were not worth the modest after-tax net of all costs returns.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026

In Texas, Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Senate candidate, last month opened an investigation into LinkedIn, which he said has advertised and profited from fake job ads.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

The CMA's investigation into the heating oil market found the price increases after the Iran war largely reflected rising wholesale costs and suppliers have not profited materially from the crisis.

From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026

Other key figures either profited or suffered from their roles.

From "Lincoln's Last Days: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever" by Bill O'Reilly

Drawing the line there stops officials from profiting off their positions, which is what erodes public trust in the first place.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 3, 2026

On October 14, MBL and NRK had also threatened to sue Meta, accusing the American giant of profiting from fraudulent advertisements impersonating them in order to defraud internet users.

From Barron's ● Oct. 27, 2026

The companies giving evidence to the committee rejected the suggestion they were profiting from phone thefts.

From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026

A bull call spread involves purchasing a lower-strike VIX call and selling a higher-strike one with the aim of profiting if the index rises.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026

For most people, knowing if and how their tissues are being used in research is a far bigger issue than profiting from them.

From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot

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Related Words

• acquisition
• benefit
• bottom line
• earnings
• goods
• harvest
• income
• interest
• output
• percentage
• proceeds
• product
• production
• receipt
• return
• revenue
• saving
• surplus
• turnout
• value

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