Basic+ Word of the Day: profit

profit (noun, verb) past tense: profited

Profit means ‘money gained from a business or transaction after deducting costs.’

• The company's profit increased by 5 percent over last year.
• The shop made a profit of $10 on each necklace that they sold.

Profit is an advantage, benefit or gain.

• What profit is there in honesty?

Profit also means ‘to gain an advantage.’

• The wise man profits from his experience.
• We can all profit by learning from our mistakes.
• The couple profited/span> when they sold their home for twice its original cost.

Don't confuse it with

prophet: a person who speaks for a god. Example: “Isaiah was a prophet in the Hebrew bible.”

Common uses

turn a profit: to start making a profit. Example: “After five years of losing money, the restaurant finally turned a profit.”

profit sharing: a system where workers get a share of a company’s profit. Example: “The company offers sales representatives profit sharing when they meet their sales goals.”

In pop culture

Watch this video of the TV show Profit where the star shows a man selling candy on the street how to make a profit.

There are other meanings of profit.