# make a profit

idiom · CEFR B1

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/make-a-profit
Updated: 2026-07-27

## 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

- The shop made a profit last year.
- After covering rent and supplies, the café finally made a profit in its second summer.
- 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.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.