profit

1 of 2

noun

prof·​it ˈprä-fət 

often attributive

1

: a valuable return : gain

2

: the excess of returns over expenditure in a transaction or series of transactions

especially : the excess of the selling price of goods over their cost

3

: net income usually for a given period of time

4

: the ratio of profit for a given year to the amount of capital invested or to the value of sales

5

: the compensation accruing to entrepreneurs for the assumption of risk in business enterprise as distinguished from wages or rent

profitless

ˈprä-fət-ləs 

adjective

profitwise

ˈprä-fət-ˌwīz 

adverb

profit

2 of 2

verb

profited; profiting; profits

intransitive verb

1

: to be of service or advantage : avail

2

: to derive benefit : gain

3

: to make a profit

transitive verb

: to be of service to : benefit

Synonyms

Noun

• earnings
• gain
• lucre
• net
• payoff
• proceeds
• return

Verb

• advantage
• avail
• benefit
• help
• serve

Examples of profit in a Sentence

Noun

The company made a profit this year.

Profits are up from last year.

There was a rise in profits this year.

The profits from CD sales were donated to charity.

The organization is not run for profit.

The film made $1,000,000 in profit.

The book can be read with profit by anyone who wants to understand how the system works.

Verb

It would profit him to take some computer classes.

The company has profited by selling its products online.

He profited greatly from his investments.

The island profits from tourism.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Adjusted operating profit rose 8 percent to 118.5 million euros. —Luisa Zargani, WWD, 20 Nov. 2024

The business has been so successful that this year Gamechanger will pull in $100 million in revenue, at least double what Dick’s Sporting Goods paid for the business in 2016, and add profits to the sporting goods giant’s bottom line. —Brendan Coffey, Sportico.com, 20 Nov. 2024

Verb

In Girls Gone Wild, the Untold Story, producers examine the life of Joe Francis, the founder of the multimillion-dollar franchise that profited off of exploitive videos featuring young spring breakers baring their breasts for T-shirts and hats. —Kalia Richardson, Rolling Stone, 20 Nov. 2024

These tools not only help attackers compromise devices but also give them more ways to profit from their schemes. —Alex Vakulov, Forbes, 20 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin profectus advance, profit, from proficere

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Phrases Containing profit

• at a profit
• for-profit
• non-profit-making
• not-for-profit
• paper profit
• profit and loss
• profit center
• profit margin
• profit motive
• profit sharing
• profit system

Kids Definition

profit

1 of 2 noun

prof·​it ˈpräf-ət 

1

: the gain or benefit from something

2

: the gain after all the expenses are subtracted from the amount received

profitless

-ləs 

adjective

profit

2 of 2 verb

1

: to get some good out of something : gain

profit by experience

2

: to be of use to (someone) : benefit

an agreement that profited us all

Legal Definition

profit

noun

prof·​it

1

: gain in excess of expenditures: as

a

: the excess of the selling price of goods over their cost

b

: net income from a business, investment, or capital appreciation compare earnings, loss

2

: a benefit or advantage from the use of property