profit
Americannoun
-
profits
plural
-
Often profits.
-
pecuniary gain resulting from the employment of capital in any transaction.
-
the ratio of such pecuniary gain to the amount of capital invested.
-
returns, proceeds, or revenue, as from property or investments.
- Synonyms:
- return
- Antonyms:
- loss
-
-
the monetary surplus left to a producer or employer after deducting wages, rent, cost of raw materials, etc..
The company works on a small margin of profit.
- Synonyms:
- net income
-
advantage; benefit; gain.
verb (used without object)
-
profits,
present (3rd person singular)
-
profited,
past participle, past
-
profiting
present participle
-
to gain an advantage or benefit.
He profited greatly from his schooling.
-
to make a profit.
-
to take advantage.
to profit from the weaknesses of others.
-
to be of service or benefit.
-
to make progress.
verb (used with object)
-
profits,
present (3rd person singular)
-
profited,
past participle, past
-
profiting
present participle
noun
-
(often plural) excess of revenues over outlays and expenses in a business enterprise over a given period of time, usually a year
-
the monetary gain derived from a transaction
-
-
income derived from property or an investment, as contrasted with capital gains
-
the ratio of this income to the investment or principal
-
-
economics
-
the income or reward accruing to a successful entrepreneur and held to be the motivating factor of all economic activity in a capitalist economy
-
( as modifier )
the profit motive
-
-
a gain, benefit, or advantage
verb
Usage
What are other ways to say profit? A profit is a gain or valuable return. How does it differ from an advantage or a benefit? Find out on Thesaurus.com.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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profiternoun
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profitlessnessnoun
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self-profitnoun
-
profitlessadjective
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proprofitadjective
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unprofitedadjective
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unprofitingadjective
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profitlesslyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
profitsimple
-
profitssimple
-
have profitedperfect
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has profitedperfect
-
am profitingprogressive
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are profitingprogressive
-
is profitingprogressive
-
have been profitingperfect progressive
-
has been profitingperfect progressive
Past
-
profitedsimple
-
had profitedperfect
-
was profitingprogressive
-
were profitingprogressive
-
had been profitingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of profit
First recorded in 1250–1300; (for the noun) Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin prōfectus “progress, profit,” noun use of past participle of prōficere “to make progress,” from prō- pro- 1 + -ficere, combining form of facere “to do, make” ( cf. fact); verb derivative of the noun
Explanation
A profit is money you make, as opposed to money you lose. Also, anything good profits you — it benefits you. When we talk about profits, we're talking about coming out ahead. Businesses need to make a profit — money — or they'll have to fire employees, cut expenses, and maybe go out of business entirely. If more money is coming in than going out, that's a profit. Profit also means a benefit. For example, you could profit from playing baseball even if you made no money from it. Getting exercise and fun would profit anybody quite a bit.
Vocabulary lists containing profit
Some Tricky Homonyms
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"The Crucible" -- Vocabulary from all 4 Acts
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Trumps
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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:
The rally likely prompted traders who were short bitcoin — or positioning to profit from falling prices of the cryptocurrency — to exit those trades, he said.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 22, 2026
The warehouse club chain on Friday posted a profit of $173.9 million, or $1.36 a share, for its quarter ended Aug. 1, compared with $150.7 million, or $1.14 a share, a year earlier.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
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
Much of the quarter's profit lift came from tariff refunds that had already come in, a one-off benefit that analysts say won't recur to the same extent.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
“You can keep your whatonyms and whatnots. My business is profit, and when I see an opportunity to make some, I act upon it.”
From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood
In 2022, Merck committed to jointly developing and splitting potential profits from the cancer vaccine.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026
And the outlook for future profits is strong, if fans’ appetites are any gauge.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
A sportsbook sets odds to balance its own risk and profits when bettors lose.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 21, 2026
Farmers have been getting out of beef farming after years of low profits and tighter regulation.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
He offered to split any profits we made after he was reimbursed for the cost of the drinks.
From "I Will Always Write Back" by Caitlin Alifirenka and Martin Ganda
Collins has profited quite handsomely from her singular access to and conflict with power.
From Salon ● Jul. 29, 2026
The CMA's investigation into the heating oil market found the price increases after the Iran war largely reflected rising wholesale costs and suppliers have not profited materially from the crisis.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
Though Rinsch told the streamer that his sci-fi show “White Horse” was progressing nicely, the filmmaker allegedly moved the remaining money into cryptocurrency and profited from crypto speculation over the next couple of years.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026
He also shared times that fun moments have gone sour, such as feeling slighted by a friend who profited from selling him a boat.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
And this vision had had a certain hold even on the groups who actually profited by each historic change.
From "1984" by George Orwell
Energy majors are profiting also from their trades as oil and gas futures swing between big gains and losses on the war's latest headlines.
From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026
Colleagues paid tribute to a "pioneer, a researcher, an inventor" who made "anatomy accessible to the general public", but critics have accused him of voyeurism and profiting commercially from death.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
They can’t be expected to fully appreciate the damage they may cause inadvertently — but the humans making and profiting off them certainly can.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
“I’m profiting because I have a lot of money and a lot of cash.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
“No more profiting off my policies, Mr. Vega. Okay?”
From "Marcus Vega Doesn't Speak Spanish" by Pablo Cartaya
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
