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

Things were far rosier in the red half of north London in 1998.

From BBC • Apr. 13, 2026

Also, OpenAI and Anthropic would hardly be the first major tech companies to go public while still deep in the red.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 7, 2026

Big tech was also dropping, with all Magnificent Seven stocks in the red.

From Barron's • Apr. 2, 2026

But amid heavy venture-capital funding and pressures for growth, Allbirds has finished every one of its years as a public company so far in the red, when measured by net income, according to FactSet data.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 31, 2026

So while I scribbled in the red dirt, Gus whistled and hoed.

From "Wish" by Barbara O'Connor