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profit taking

American

noun

Stock Exchange.

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

profit taking British

noun

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

"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

Etymology

Origin of profit taking

First recorded in 1895–1900

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.

It could also mark profit taking while the stock is still moving up.

From Barron's • Mar. 19, 2026

Hirsch said he thinks recent strong stock-market performance has led to more profit taking after New Year’s Day.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 4, 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

“Signs of a U.S.-China trade deal were enough to trigger profit taking after the 26% rise achieved since the start of September,” analysts at ANZ say.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 27, 2025

The price spiked to $6.75 before profit taking knocked it down.

From Joe Burke's Last Stand by Wetterau, John Moncure

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023