profit
Americannoun
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Often profits.
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pecuniary gain resulting from the employment of capital in any transaction.
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the ratio of such pecuniary gain to the amount of capital invested.
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returns, proceeds, or revenue, as from property or investments.
- Synonyms:
- return
- Antonyms:
- loss
-
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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
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advantage; benefit; gain.
verb (used without object)
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to gain an advantage or benefit.
He profited greatly from his schooling.
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to make a profit.
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to take advantage.
to profit from the weaknesses of others.
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to be of service or benefit.
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to make progress.
verb (used with object)
noun
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(often plural) excess of revenues over outlays and expenses in a business enterprise over a given period of time, usually a year
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the monetary gain derived from a transaction
-
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income derived from property or an investment, as contrasted with capital gains
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the ratio of this income to the investment or principal
-
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economics
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the income or reward accruing to a successful entrepreneur and held to be the motivating factor of all economic activity in a capitalist economy
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( as modifier )
the profit motive
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a gain, benefit, or advantage
verb
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
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profiternoun
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profitlessnessnoun
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self-profitnoun
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profitlessadjective
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proprofitadjective
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unprofitedadjective
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unprofitingadjective
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profitlesslyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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profitsimple
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profitssimple
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have profitedperfect
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has profitedperfect
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am profitingprogressive
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are profitingprogressive
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is profitingprogressive
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have been profitingperfect progressive
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has been profitingperfect progressive
Past
-
profitedsimple
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had profitedperfect
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was profitingprogressive
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were profitingprogressive
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had been profitingperfect progressive
Future
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
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.
Vocabulary lists containing profit
Some Tricky Homonyms
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"The Crucible" -- Vocabulary from all 4 Acts
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Trumps
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Artificial intelligence may have already taken a bite out of software this year, but a profit warning from IBM indicates that it’s hardware’s turn to chow down.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026
The profit surge was driven by a Wall Street boom in stock-market debuts, mergers and acquisitions, and trading activity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
Artificial intelligence may have already taken a bite out of software this year, but a profit warning from IBM indicates that it’s hardware’s turn to chow down.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026
The stock plummeted some 25% after the company issued a profit warning Tuesday morning.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
There was no profit in it—that was plain.
From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers
Major U.S. stock indexes rose on Tuesday, supported by booming bank profits and a lower-than-expected inflation report.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
Within the index, energy and tech carried the heaviest second-quarter expectations: Analysts see energy-sector profits more than doubling from a year earlier, while tech earnings are projected to climb 61%.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026
Goldman shares soared over 9% on record profits, though Citigroup dropped 5% over concerns about elevated future expenses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
VW's profits have fallen sharply in recent years.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
With the profits from this activity I built a saw mill, and then a store to go along with the tavern, and then I joined with some other men to found a bank.
From "My Brother Sam is Dead" by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier
Though Rinsch told the streamer that his sci-fi show “White Horse” was progressing nicely, the filmmaker allegedly moved the remaining money into cryptocurrency and profited from crypto speculation over the next couple of years.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026
One reason Dominion hasn’t profited much from the data center boom is because of timing.
From Barron's ● May 19, 2026
In south-east England, the party profited from a drop in support for the Conservatives, winning the two new councils of East and West Surrey.
From BBC ● May 9, 2026
New development proliferated, and construction workers, service staff and luxury retailers all profited.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 8, 2026
For what has a man profited, if he has gained the whole world and lost his soul?
From "The Boy Who Dared" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
Rocio Concha, head of policy and advocacy at Which? welcomed the publication as a "significant step" in holding tech firms accountable for profiting from fraud which harms users.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
“I’m profiting because I have a lot of money and a lot of cash.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
“We’re all profiting. I’m profiting because I have a lot of money and a lot of cash.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026
“You know why I’m profiting? Because the stock market’s going up. Everybody’s profiting,” he said.
From Salon ● Jul. 1, 2026
“No more profiting off my policies, Mr. Vega. Okay?”
From "Marcus Vega Doesn't Speak Spanish" by Pablo Cartaya
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
