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  • profit sharing
    profit sharing
    noun
    the sharing of profits, as between employer and employee, especially in such a way that the employee receives, in addition to wages, a share in the profits of the business.
  • profit-sharing
    profit-sharing
    noun
    a system in which a portion of the net profit of a business is distributed to its employees, usually in proportion to their wages or their length of service

profit sharing

American  

noun

  1. the sharing of profits, as between employer and employee, especially in such a way that the employee receives, in addition to wages, a share in the profits of the business.


profit-sharing British  

noun

  1. a system in which a portion of the net profit of a business is distributed to its employees, usually in proportion to their wages or their length of service

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

profit sharing Cultural  
  1. Distributing the profits, or part of the profits, of a business to its employees.


Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of profit sharing

First recorded in 1880–85

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:

“How is this all going to be financed? How’s the profit sharing to work?”

From The Wall Street Journal Oct. 29, 2025

Westinghouse’s AP1000 line of nuclear reactors will be used, the announcement said, and there would be profit sharing for all parties, including the U.S. government, once certain thresholds are met.

From MarketWatch Oct. 28, 2025

The government also cites the nature of Hanni's income, which is deemed to be "profit sharing, rather than wages", according to local reports, adding that she pays business income tax rather than employment income tax.

From BBC Nov. 20, 2024

Top production workers at GM, for instance, now earn $36 an hour, or about $75,000 a year excluding overtime, benefits and profit sharing, which topped $10,000 this year.

From Seattle Times May 10, 2024

What is the attitude of the employer toward profit sharing?

From Problems in American Democracy by Williamson, Thames Ross

The profit-sharing plan was an attempt to address this costly problem.

From Barron's May 20, 2026

In December 2024, South Korea's financial regulator launched an investigation into allegations that Bang entered into profit-sharing agreements with private equity funds ahead of Hybe's market debut, without proper public disclosure.

From BBC Apr. 21, 2026

For example, in late January, Lockheed Martin announced a profit-sharing agreement with the U.S. government to boost production of air-defense missiles by more than three times the current rate of production.

From MarketWatch Mar. 11, 2026

Ackman wasn’t paid a salary, instead, he received the money from distributions and profit-sharing.

From The Wall Street Journal Mar. 10, 2026

There was the profit-sharing plan, with Wal-Mart’s stock price posted daily in a prominent spot near the break room.

From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich

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