bottom line

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See synonyms for: bottom line / bottomline on Thesaurus.com

noun

the last line of a financial statement, used for showing net profit or loss.

net profit or loss.

the deciding or crucial factor.

the ultimate result; outcome.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of bottom line

First recorded in 1965–70

OTHER WORDS FROM bottom line

bottom-line, adjective

Words nearby bottom line

bottoming, bottom lady, bottom land, bottomless, bottomless pit, bottom line, bottom-liner, bottommost, bottom of the barrel, bottom of the ladder, bottom-of-the-line

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use bottom line in a sentence

The bottom line is that antibody testing “for the purposes of vaccine decision-making” is not advisable, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Why you shouldn’t get a covid antibody test after your vaccine|Lindsey Bever|February 12, 2021|Washington Post
The bottom line, she said, is that wearing any type of mask is better than not wearing one at all.
Masks should fit better or be doubled up to protect against coronavirus variants, CDC says|Lena H. Sun, Fenit Nirappil|February 11, 2021|Washington Post
The bottom line, though, is that these tax structures could be updated to be more equitable.
“We Have Counties in Deep Trouble”: Oregon Lawmakers Seek to Reverse Timber Tax Cuts That Cost Communities Billions|by Rob Davis, The Oregonian/OregonLive, and Tony Schick, Oregon Public Broadcasting|February 5, 2021|ProPublica
The bottom line is that the threat of snow for Sunday is diminishing.
PM Update: Cold tonight under clearer skies, then it turns milder Thursday|Ian Livingston|February 3, 2021|Washington Post

The truth of the matter is, the contactless experience is no longer just a “nice-to-have” but a necessity that impacts the retailer’s bottom line.
COVID and quarantine are driving contactless retail experiences|Trevor Grigoruk|February 1, 2021|Digiday
Bottom line is that it will only be a BVR [beyond visual range] airplane.
New U.S. Stealth Jet Can’t Fire Its Gun Until 2019|Dave Majumdar|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Israeli elections means a time out And that brings us to the bottom line.
Why We Should Delay The Israel-Palestinian Peace Process|Aaron David Miller|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It seems to me that we are dealing with more than bottom-line economics and bottom-squeezing ergonomics.
Flying Coach Is the New Hell: How Airlines Engineer You Out of Room|Clive Irving|November 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Bottom line is we should expect to hear Sunday that the grand jury has not indicted Wilson.
Why Darren Wilson Will Walk|Dean Obeidallah|November 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The bottom line is that Ebola is terrible and the world is not doing enough.
Do They Know It’s Time to Stop Band Aid?|Tom Sykes|November 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The altered die has the three vertical lines, but the horizontal lines are omitted to the point where the bottom line begins.
History of the Postage Stamps of the United States of America|John Kerr Tiffany
The bottom line, being nearest to the centre of the circle, is now shorter than the centre line.
The Aeroplane Speaks|H. Barber
Page 263, after the word insects (bottom line of note), add, but the whole marking is suggestive of distastefulness.
Studies in the Theory of Descent (Volumes 1 and 2)|August Weismann
In like manner, the totals in the bottom line are all equivalent to percentages since 100 buds of each parent tree were used.
Northern Nut Growers Association Report of the Proceedings at the Thirty-Eighth Annual Meeting|Northern Nut Growers Association
Our plan will improve the bottom line for more than 23 million small businesses.
State of the Union Addresses of George W. Bush|George W. Bush

British Dictionary definitions for bottom line

bottom line

noun

the last line of a financial statement that shows the net profit or loss of a company or organization

the final outcome of a process, discussion, etc

the most important or fundamental aspect of a situation

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for bottom line

bottom line

The last line in an audit, which shows profit or loss.

notes for bottom line

By extension, “bottom line” refers to the final, determining consideration in a decision.

notes for bottom line

“Bottom line” also has a derogatory implication when it refers to those people whose attention to the bottom line prevents them from recognizing the value of anything else.

Other Idioms and Phrases with bottom line

bottom line

The ultimate result, the upshot; also, the main point or crucial factor. For example, The bottom line is that the chairman wants to dictate all of the board's decisions, or Whether or not he obeyed the law is the bottom line. This is an accounting term that refers to the earnings figures that appear on the bottom (last) line of a statement. It began to be transferred to other contexts in the mid-1900s.

bottom line

Origin of bottom line

OTHER WORDS FROM bottom line

Words nearby bottom line

Words related to bottom line

How to use bottom line in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for bottom line

Cultural definitions for bottom line

notes for bottom line

notes for bottom line

Other Idioms and Phrases with bottom line