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.
The business generated $818 million in revenue and $2.5 billion in red ink.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 17, 2026
For example, the word "red" might appear in red ink.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 10, 2026
Yet even Amik needed 30 years to chew his way out of the billion dollars in red ink that the Montreal Olympics cost.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 6, 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
As I stood debating what to do, my eyes wandered about, and fell upon several placards, in red ink, impaled upon a nearby fence.
From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane
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.
