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

Should profit taking begin, a sharp pullback would be in the cards as extreme call demand unwinds, says SpotGamma.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 1, 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

“This raises the risk of profit taking or mean reversion in both gold and silver over the near term,” he says.

From MarketWatch ● Jan. 29, 2026

The fall was triggered by profit taking and coincided with largest single-day outflow from gold-backed exchange-traded funds in five months, Kim writes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2025

So he schooled himself to be patient, and put in his time to good profit taking the measures of his shipmates and learning his way about ship.

From Alias the Lone Wolf by Vance, Louis Joseph