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definitions

capital gain

noun

profit from the sale of assets, as bonds or real estate.

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Nearby words

  1. capital assets,
  2. capital budget,
  3. capital expenditure,
  4. capital flight,
  5. capital formation,
  6. capital gains,
  7. capital gains tax,
  8. capital goods,
  9. capital investment,
  10. capital letter

Origin of capital gain

First recorded in 1920–25
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for capital gain

capital gain

noun

the amount by which the selling price of a financial asset exceeds its cost
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
Culture definitions for capital gain

capital gain

Personal income earned by the sale of assets, such as stocks or real property. The gain is the difference between the price paid for the asset and the selling price. Most conservatives want capital gains taxed at a lower rate than ordinary income in order to stimulate investment, whereas most liberals oppose a lower rate for capital gains as a subsidy for the wealthy.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.