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

Putting aside the many risks, there are clearly vast profits to be made in doing business with Russia, which incidentally also has the world’s fourth biggest reserves of rare earths, far bigger than Ukraine’s. —Matthew Chance, CNN, 2 Mar. 2025

As outlined in a U.S. Supreme Court case, a key test for whether an investment product is a security is whether people are investing in a common enterprise with the expectation of profit. —Hannah Lang, USA TODAY, 1 Mar. 2025

Verb

American arms sales abroad, from Saudi to Japan, profited hugely from this dominant position. —Melik Kaylan, Forbes, 3 Mar. 2025

Because of this, for years, mainstream social media platforms have profited from Black culture while simultaneously failing to protect Black users. —Jasmine Browley, Essence, 3 Mar. 2025

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

Rhymes for profit

• prophet
• soffit
• nonprofit

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