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profit motive
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noun
the desire for profit that motivates one to engage in business ventures.
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Origin of profit motive
First recorded in 1930–35
Words nearby profit motive
profit centre, profiteer, profiteering, profiterole, profit margin, profit motive, profit sharing, profit squeeze, profit taking, profit warning, profligacy
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use profit motive in a sentence
Cultural definitions for profit motive
notes for profit motive
The profit motive is often called a great good or a great evil in society. On the one hand, it is said to represent selfishness; on the other, it is said to drive the free market system. (See invisible hand.)
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.