profit taking

American  

noun

Stock Exchange.

1. the selling of securities that have risen in price above costs; selling in order to realize a profit.

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profit taking British  

noun

1. selling commodities, securities, etc, at a profit after a rise in market values or before an expected fall in values

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Etymology

Origin of profit taking

First recorded in 1895–1900

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

profit taking

A positive for Nvidia investors is that shares haven’t seen the kind of pre-earnings surge that could lead to profit taking even if it delivers good news.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 21, 2026

Hendi Susanto, a portfolio manager at Gabelli Funds, said the recent pullback is being driven by a mix of rotation into other sectors, profit taking in recent winners and concerns over high valuations.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 26, 2026

“While overbought conditions alone are not necessarily bearish, the probability of near-term profit taking or rotational activity appears to be rising as investor positioning becomes increasingly crowded.”

From Barron's ● May 29, 2026

Earlier this week, they warned that tech stocks might suffer from profit taking in the near term, but noted that "it's too early to call an end to the AI investment boom".

From BBC ● Nov. 20, 2025

In the same way that profit taking did.

From Equality by Edward Bellamy