in the red

Idioms  

1. In debt, as in Joshua can't keep track of funds, so half the time his company is in the red. This expression alludes to the bookkeeping practice of marking debits in red ink and credits in black. It survives even in the age of computerized accounts. So does the antonym, in the black, for being financially solvent or out of debt, as in Bill was happy to say they were in the black. [Early 1900s]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

in the red

September is historically a challenging month for the stock market, and this year was no exception: The S&P 500 and the Dow industrials each ended the month in the red.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

The sharp selloff in the Treasury market has many bond funds facing negative total returns in 2026, and bond exchange-traded funds in the red for the year.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026

But once again USC’s defense stood tall in the red zone, holding Oregon to a field goal.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026

The 15th, in 2016, a tribute to a beautiful young man named Welles Crowther, “the man in the red bandana.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026

The harridan screwed her eyes to slits and looked the lady in the red kirtle up and down.

From "Stardust" by Neil Gaiman