bottom line

noun

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

2. net profit or loss.

3. the deciding or crucial factor.

4. the ultimate result; outcome.

bottom line

noun

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

2. the final outcome of a process, discussion, etc

3. the most important or fundamental aspect of a situation

bottom line

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

“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.

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

Other Word Forms

• bottom-line adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of bottom line¹

First recorded in 1965–70

Idioms and Phrases

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.

Example Sentences

Even though top and bottom line results for HP’s last quarter beat estimates, earnings guidance for the full fiscal year was a disappointment as costs increase because of rising demand for memory that supports AI.

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‘Companies use Black Friday to improve their bottom line, and you should, too.’

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But as Siebel Newsom said, “If a platform reaches a child, it carries a responsibility to protect that child. Period. Our children’s safety can never be second to the bottom line.”

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The bottom line is, Maddie’s not going to be allowed to pursue a hot story.

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What’s been helping the bottom line is that the company has pulled back on promotions, with average unit retail, or the average price of products sold, having improved.

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Related Words

• cardinal 
• critical 
• crucial 
• essential 
• fundamental 
• important 
• indispensable