red ink
Americannoun
-
a financial deficit; business loss.
-
the condition of showing a business loss.
Etymology
Origin of red ink
An Americanism dating back to 1925–30
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.
For example, the word "red" might appear in red ink.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 10, 2026
Screenshots the student then shared appeared to show manual marking in red ink, unlike the green tick marks used in the digital evaluation system.
From BBC ● May 28, 2026
The red ink is mounting for companies in the business of slaughtering cattle.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 25, 2026
The company attributed most of the flood of red ink to “loss from investments,” of which more in a moment.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 3, 2026
Only turpentine could wipe away the black and red ink that had seeped into the linoleum floor tiles.
From "One Crazy Summer" by Rita Williams-Garcia
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.
