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

ArcelorMittal MT 1.38%increase; green up pointing triangle said it is hopeful that state support for the steel industry will boost its business next year and beyond as it targets a stronger bottom line.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

CFO Jason Child added that because Arm is delivering higher revenue, it’s able to both make these investments and still pass through some top-line performance to the bottom line.

Read more on MarketWatch

Integrating Perplexity into Snapchat offers another suggestion that investors will continue to reward partnerships that contribute immediately to the bottom line.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

“The bottom line is California elections have been validated by the courts,” Weber said in a statement.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

But they also seem heartfelt rather than calculated or driven by the corporate bottom line.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

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