ENGLISH
REFERENCE

make a profit

idiom
Meaning

To earn more money than you spend, so that a business or deal leaves you with money gained. The opposite of "make a loss". "They sold the house and made a small profit."


Examples
SIMPLE

The shop made a profit last year.

CONTEXTUAL

After covering rent and supplies, the café finally made a profit in its second summer.

COMPLEX

The startup burned through investors' money for years before it made a profit, and even then the margins were thin enough to vanish with a single bad quarter.

Last updated July 27, 2026