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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

The gap between the yields of the two types of bonds—known as the break-even rate—has been relatively steady, suggesting that investors expect annual inflation to average around 2.3% over the next decade.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

The average life expectancy at birth in the U.S. is 79 years, pretty close to the Social Security break-even age of most Americans, including yourself.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 11, 2026

Most break-even analyses focus on maximizing the total amount you receive from Social Security over your lifetime.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 2026

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

From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam

It will need to make between $625 million to $750 million to break even, which seems more than doable.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026

Provided his renovations didn’t total more than $4.5 million, he will at least break even on the sale.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 29, 2026

It can break even at much lower volumes.

From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 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

My harness might break, even though I feel one hundred percent secure.

From "They Both Die at the End" by Adam Silvera