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• break-even
  break-even

  adjective

  having income exactly equal to expenditure, thus showing neither profit nor loss.
• break even
  break even

  verb

  (intr, adverb) to attain a level of activity, as in commerce, or a point of operation, as in gambling, at which there is neither profit nor loss

break-even

American  

[breyk-ee-vuhn] / ˈbreɪkˈi vən /

Or breakeven

adjective

1. having income exactly equal to expenditure, thus showing neither profit nor loss.

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noun

1. break-even point.

2. Energy. the stage at which a fission or fusion reaction becomes self-sustaining.

break even British  

verb

1. (intr, adverb) to attain a level of activity, as in commerce, or a point of operation, as in gambling, at which there is neither profit nor loss

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noun

1. accounting

   1. the level of commercial activity at which the total cost and total revenue of a business enterprise are equal

   2. ( as modifier )

      breakeven prices

break even Idioms  

1. Neither gain nor lose in some venture, recoup the amount one invested. For example, If the dealer sells five cars a week, he'll break even. This expression probably came from one or another card game (some authorities say it was faro), where it meant to bet that a card would win and lose an equal number of times. It soon was transferred to balancing business gains and losses. Novelist Sinclair Lewis so used it in Our Mr. Wrenn (1914). The usage gave rise to the noun break-even point, for the amount of sales or production needed for a firm to recoup its investment. [Late 1800s]

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Etymology

Origin of break-even

An Americanism dating back to 1935–40

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

break-even break even

It seems to me that once I factor in even a conservative expected investment return, the break-even age for delaying benefits becomes significantly later.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026

But doing a break-even calculation does allow people who have the flexibility to choose their claiming age decide whether they should wait or not.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 29, 2026

U.S. shale break-even prices are between $60 and $70 a barrel.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 2026

The country, some economists proposed, simply didn’t need to create hundreds of thousands of new jobs a month anymore to keep the economy stable, a trend called a falling break-even rate of job creation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 6, 2026

“Perhaps there’s a break-even point for all propellants.”

From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam

But you will also save a chunk of money on your existing mortgage by simplifying your life and you will probably break even on those costs in a year or two.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 25, 2026

This year’s event has a record number of participants, and is set to break even after operating at a loss for the last two years.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2026

They calculate that the S&P 500 took 15 years on a price basis to break even after inflation in the wake of the tech bubble burst—from 2000 to 2015.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 10, 2026

Friedsam estimates that she needs to win about £300,000 a season to break even.

From BBC ● May 27, 2026

I could see the apology written there, the wretched guilt, and was surprised to find my heart could break even that bit more.

From "The Darkest Minds" by Alexandra Bracken