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paper profit

American  

noun

  1. an unrealized profit due to the appreciation of something owned but not yet sold.


Etymology

Origin of paper profit

First recorded in 1890–95

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Its paper profit in Trilogy Metals totals more than $90 million, assuming that the government meets its obligation to build an industrial road the company plans to use.

From Barron's May 8, 2026

The shares have since fallen, but he’s still sitting on a paper profit of about $120 and doesn’t plan to sell.

From New York Times Mar. 21, 2021

By 1986, they had a paper profit of $850 million on their Disney stake.

From Washington Post Sep. 28, 2015

And this July, when Hilton’s stock closed at $24.80, Gray and Nassetta had officially transformed Hilton into the most lucrative private equity deal ever, with a paper profit of $12 billion.

From BusinessWeek Sep. 11, 2014

Teasing you along, letting you pile up a little paper profit, then bang!

From "The Sound and the Fury" by William Faulkner

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