- 1 [countable, uncountable] the money that you make in business or by selling things, especially after paying the costs involved a rise/an increase/a drop/a fall in profits profit (on something) The company made a healthy profit on the deal. profit (from something) Profit from exports rose 7.3% Net profit (= after you have paid costs and tax) was up 16.1%. The sale generated record profits. We should be able to sell the house at a profit. The agency is voluntary and not run for profit. There isn’t much profit in running a restaurant these days. opposite loss Wordfindermoneyafford, bank, bankrupt, capital, economy, expense, finance, invest, money, profit CollocationsBusinessRunning a business buy/acquire/own/sell a company/firm/franchise set up/establish/start/start up/launch a business/company run/operate a business/company/franchise head/run a firm/department/team make/secure/win/block a deal expand/grow/build the business boost/increase investment/spending/sales/turnover/earnings/exports/trade increase/expand production/output/sales boost/maximize production/productivity/efficiency/income/revenue/profit/profitability achieve/maintain/sustain growth/profitability cut/reduce/bring down/lower/slash costs/prices announce/impose/make cuts/cutbacksSales and marketing break into/enter/capture/dominate the market gain/grab/take/win/boost/lose market share find/build/create a market for something start/launch an advertising/a marketing campaign develop/launch/promote a product/website create/generate demand for your product attract/get/retain/help customers/clients drive/generate/boost/increase demand/sales beat/keep ahead of/out-think/outperform the competition meet/reach/exceed/miss sales targetsFinance draw up/set/present/agree/approve a budget keep to/balance/cut/reduce/slash the budget be/come in below/under/over/within budget generate income/revenue/profit/funds/business fund/finance a campaign/a venture/an expansion/spending/a deficit provide/raise/allocate capital/funds attract/encourage investment/investors recover/recoup costs/losses/an investment get/obtain/offer somebody/grant somebody credit/a loan apply for/raise/secure/arrange/provide financeFailure lose business/trade/customers/sales/revenue accumulate/accrue/incur/run up debts suffer/sustain enormous/heavy/serious losses face cuts/a deficit/redundancy/bankruptcy file for/ (North American English) enter/avoid/escape bankruptcy (British English) go into administration/liquidation liquidate/wind up a company survive/weather a recession/downturn propose/seek/block/oppose a merger launch/make/accept/defeat a takeover bid Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectivebig, considerable, decent, … verb + profitbring, bring in, deliver, … profit + verbclimb, grow, increase, … profit + nounmargin, rate, sharing, … prepositionagainst profits, at a profit, for profit, … phrasesa decline in profits, a fall in profits, an increase in profits, … See full entry See related entries: Running a business
- 2[uncountable] (formal) the advantage that you get from doing something Future lawyers could study this text with profit. Word OriginMiddle English (in the sense ‘advantage, benefit’): from Old French, from Latin profectus ‘progress, profit’, from proficere ‘to advance’, from pro- ‘on behalf of’ + facere ‘do’. The verb is from Old French profiter.Extra examples At whose expense are those obscene profits made? Damaged goods mean lost profit. Did you make a profit on your house when you sold it? He’s only interested in making a quick profit. Investors will take the profits. Jakob had realized a personal profit of $240 000. Profit before tax increased by 40% on last year. Profits surged 41% to £13 million. The CD generated record profits. The company made losses of $500 000 against profits of $750 000. The company posted second-quarter profits of $570 million. The company started to show a profit in its first year. The expected profits have not materialized. The goods were sold for profit. They closed down after years of low profits. We are continuing our strategy of profit maximization. We should be able to sell the piano at a profit. a commodity that produced steady profits an annual profit of £50 000 profits accruing to the taxpayer from the sale of property profits from property investments the pharmaceutical companies’ profit motive the potential profits from insider trading A luxury product like perfume has a high profit margin. Future lawyers could study this case with profit. The agency is voluntary and not run for profit. The company made a healthy profit of $106m last year. There isn’t much profit in running a restaurant these days.
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