working capital
Americannoun
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the amount of capital needed to carry on a business.
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Accounting. current assets minus current liabilities.
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liquid capital assets as distinguished from fixed capital assets.
noun
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accounting current assets minus current liabilities
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current or liquid assets
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that part of the capital of a business enterprise available for operations
Etymology
Origin of working capital
First recorded in 1900–05
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.
Additionally, “free cash appears to be 11% ahead for the quarter as stronger Ebitda, lower capex and lower lease payments more than offset the impact of the working capital outflow in the quarter,” they say.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026
"Since the labour-intensive sectors are small and micro units with only a little working capital, they are not able to cope with the shortages," said economist Arun Kumar.
From BBC • Apr. 28, 2026
The group expects higher oil and gas prices to add $2 billion to $2.5 billion to its working capital for the quarter.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026
Shell also flagged a hit of up to $15 billion in working capital.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 8, 2026
For the poor freedman, it was not sufficient to provide for his support and at the same time make it possible to accumulate a working capital.
From The Planters of Colonial Virginia by Wertenbaker, Thomas Jefferson
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.
