Adjacent Words

Profit definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

PROF'IT, n. [L. profectus, proficio, to profit, literally to proceed forward, to advance; pro and facio. The primary sense of facio is to urge or drive.
1. In commerce, the advance in the price of goods sold beyond the cost of purchase. Net profit is the gain made by selling goods at an advanced price or a price beyond what they had cost the seller, and beyond all costs and charges. The profit of the farmer and the manufacturer is the gain made by the sale of produce or manufactures, after deducting the value of the labor, materials, rents and all expenses, together with the interest of the capital employed, whether land, machinery, buildings, instruments or money.
Let no man anticipate uncertain profits.
2. Any gain or pecuniary advantage; as an office of profit or honor.
3. Any advantage; any accession of good from labor or exertion; an extensive signification, comprehending the acquisition of any thing valuable, corporeal or intellectual, temporal or spiritual. A person may derive profit from exercise, amusements, reading, study, meditation, social intercourse, religious instruction, etc. Every improvement or advance in knowledge is profit to a wise man.
PROF'IT, v.t.
1. To benefit; to advantage; applied to one's self, to derive some pecuniary interest or some accession of good from any thing; as, to profit one's self by a commercial undertaking, or by reading or instruction. In this sense, the verb is generally used intransitively. Applied to others, to communicate good to; to advance the interest of.
Brethren, if I come to you speaking with tongues,what shall I profit you? 1 Corinthians 14.
Whereto might the strength of their hands profit me? Job 30.
2. To improve; to advance.
It is a great means of profiting yourself, to copy diligently excellent pieces and beautiful designs.
PROF'IT, v.i. To gain advantage in percuniary interest; as, to profit by trade or manufactures.
1. To make improvement; to improve; to grow wiser or better; to advance in any thing useful; as, to profit by reading or by experience.
She has profited by your counsel.
2. To be of use or advantage; to bring good to.
Riches profit not in the day of wrath. Proverbs 11.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: the excess of revenues over outlays in a given period of time (including depreciation and other non-cash expenses) [syn: net income, net, net profit, lucre, profit, profits, earnings]
2: the advantageous quality of being beneficial [syn: profit, gain] v
1: derive a benefit from; "She profited from his vast experience" [syn: profit, gain, benefit]
2: make a profit; gain money or materially; "The company has not profited from the merger" [syn: profit, turn a profit] [ant: break even, lose, turn a loss]

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Usage: often attributive Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin profectus advance, profit, from proficere Date: 14th century 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 adjective • profitwise adverb II. verb Date: 14th century 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

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & v. --n. 1 an advantage or benefit. 2 financial gain; excess of returns over outlay. --v. (profited, profiting) 1 tr. (also absol.) be beneficial to. 2 intr. obtain an advantage or benefit (profited by the experience). Phrases and idioms: at a profit with financial gain. profit and loss account an account in which gains are credited and losses debited so as to show the net profit or loss at any time. profit margin the profit remaining in a business after costs have been deducted. profit-sharing the sharing of profits esp. between employer and employees. profit-taking the sale of shares etc. at a time when profit will accrue. Derivatives: profitless adj. Etymology: ME f. OF f. L profectus progress, profit f. proficere profect- advance (as PRO-(1), facere do)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Profit Prof"it, v. i. 1. To gain advantage; to make improvement; to improve; to gain; to advance. I profit not by thy talk. --Shak. 2. To be of use or advantage; to do or bring good. Riches profit not in the day of wrath. --Prov. xi. 4.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Profit Pro"fit, n. [F., fr. L. profectus advance, progress, profit, fr. profectum. See Proficient.] 1. Acquisition beyond expenditure; excess of value received for producing, keeping, or selling, over cost; hence, pecuniary gain in any transaction or occupation; emolument; as, a profit on the sale of goods. Let no man anticipate uncertain profits. --Rambler. 2. Accession of good; valuable results; useful consequences; benefit; avail; gain; as, an office of profit, This I speak for your own profit. --1 Cor. vii. 35. If you dare do yourself a profit and a right. --Shak. Syn: Benefit; avail; service; improvement; advancement; gain; emolument.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Profit Prof"it, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Profited; p. pr. & vb. n. Profiting.] [F. profiter. See Profit, n.] To be of service to; to be good to; to help on; to benefit; to advantage; to avail; to aid; as, truth profits all men. The word preached did not profit them. --Heb. iv. 2. It is a great means of profiting yourself, to copy diligently excellent pieces and beautiful designs. --Dryden.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Turn Turn, v. i. 1. To move round; to have a circular motion; to revolve entirely, repeatedly, or partially; to change position, so as to face differently; to whirl or wheel round; as, a wheel turns on its axis; a spindle turns on a pivot; a man turns on his heel. The gate . . . on golden hinges turning. --Milton. 2. Hence, to revolve as if upon a point of support; to hinge; to depend; as, the decision turns on a single fact. Conditions of peace certainly turn upon events of war. --Swift. 3. To result or terminate; to come about; to eventuate; to issue. If we repent seriously, submit contentedly, and serve him faithfully, afflictions shall turn to our advantage. --Wake. 4. To be deflected; to take a different direction or tendency; to be directed otherwise; to be differently applied; to be transferred; as, to turn from the road. Turn from thy fierce wrath. --Ex. xxxii. 12. Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways. --Ezek. xxxiii. 11. The understanding turns inward on itself, and reflects on its own operations. --Locke. 5. To be changed, altered, or transformed; to become transmuted; also, to become by a change or changes; to grow; as, wood turns to stone; water turns to ice; one color turns to another; to turn Mohammedan. I hope you have no intent to turn husband. --Shak. Cygnets from gray turn white. --Bacon. 6. To undergo the process of turning on a lathe; as, ivory turns well. 7. Specifically: (a) To become acid; to sour; -- said of milk, ale, etc. (b) To become giddy; -- said of the head or brain. I'll look no more; Lest my brain turn. --Shak. (c) To be nauseated; -- said of the stomach. (d) To become inclined in the other direction; -- said of scales. (e) To change from ebb to flow, or from flow to ebb; -- said of the tide. (f) (Obstetrics) To bring down the feet of a child in the womb, in order to facilitate delivery. 8. (Print.) To invert a type of the same thickness, as temporary substitute for any sort which is exhausted. To turn about, to face to another quarter; to turn around. To turn again, to come back after going; to return. --Shak. To turn against, to become unfriendly or hostile to. To turn aside or away. (a) To turn from the direct course; to withdraw from a company; to deviate. (b) To depart; to remove. (c) To avert one's face. To turn back, to turn so as to go in an opposite direction; to retrace one's steps. To turn in. (a) To bend inward. (b) To enter for lodgings or entertainment. (c) To go to bed. [Colloq.] To turn into, to enter by making a turn; as, to turn into a side street. To turn off, to be diverted; to deviate from a course; as, the road turns off to the left. To turn on or upon. (a) To turn against; to confront in hostility or anger. (b) To reply to or retort. (c) To depend on; as, the result turns on one condition. To turn out. (a) To move from its place, as a bone. (b) To bend or point outward; as, his toes turn out. (c) To rise from bed. [Colloq.] (d) To come abroad; to appear; as, not many turned out to the fire. (e) To prove in the result; to issue; to result; as, the crops turned out poorly. To turn over, to turn from side to side; to roll; to tumble. To turn round. (a) To change position so as to face in another direction. (b) To change one's opinion; to change from one view or party to another. To turn to, to apply one's self to; have recourse to; to refer to. ``Helvicus's tables may be turned to on all occasions.'' --Locke. To turn to account, profit, advantage, or the like, to be made profitable or advantageous; to become worth the while. To turn under, to bend, or be folded, downward or under. To turn up. (a) To bend, or be doubled, upward. (b) To appear; to come to light; to transpire; to occur; to happen.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(profits, profiting, profited) Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English. 1. A profit is an amount of money that you gain when you are paid more for something than it cost you to make, get, or do it. The bank made pre-tax profits of £3.5 million... You can improve your chances of profit by sensible planning... ? loss N-VAR 2. If you profit from something, you earn a profit from it. Footballers are accustomed to profiting handsomely from bonuses... The dealers profited shamefully at the expense of my family. VERB: V from/by n/-ing, V 3. If you profit from something, or it profits you, you gain some advantage or benefit from it. (FORMAL) Jennifer wasn't yet totally convinced that she'd profit from a more relaxed lifestyle... So far the French alliance had profited the rebels little... Whom would it profit to terrify or to kill James Sinclair? VERB: V from/by n, V n, it V n to-inf • Profit is also a noun. The artist found much to his profit in the Louvre.

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. n. 1. Gain, produce, emolument, return, avails. 2. Advantage, benefit, service, weal, utility, accession of good, improvement, advancement. II. v. n. 1. Improve, gain, advance, make improvement, gain advantage. 2. Bring good, be of use or advantage.

Moby Thesaurus

advance, advantage, advantageousness, advisability, aid, answer, appropriateness, avail, avails, bait, be handy, be of use, be right, befit, befitting, behalf, behoof, beneficialness, benefit, benison, bestead, blessing, boon, box office, break no bones, bribe, capital gains, capitalize on, carrot, cash in on, clean up, cleaning, cleanup, clear, clear profit, coin money, commercialize, commissions, convenience, credit, credits, decency, desirability, disposable income, dividend, dividends, do, do good, do no harm, do the trick, earn, earned income, earnings, encouragement, excess, expedience, expediency, exploit, favor, feasibility, fill the bill, fillip, filthy lucre, fit, fitness, fittingness, forward, fruitfulness, further, gain, gain by, gains, gate, gate receipts, get, gettings, give good returns, gleanings, good, gravy, gross, gross income, gross profit, gross receipts, help, hoard, improve, incentive, incitement, income, inducement, intake, interest, invitation, killing, lucre, lure, make, make a killing, make money, make money by, makings, maximize, neat profit, net, net income, net profit, net receipts, not come amiss, opportuneness, output, paper profits, pay, pay off, payment, pelf, percentage, perk, perks, perquisite, persuasive, pickings, point, politicness, proceeds, produce, product, production, profitability, profits, promote, propriety, provocation, prudence, rake-off, realize, realize on, receipt, receipts, receivables, return, returns, revenue, reward, rightness, royalties, seasonableness, seemliness, serve, serve the purpose, service, stimulation, stimulative, stimulus, store, suffice, suit the occasion, suitability, surplus, sweetener, sweetening, take, take advantage of, take-in, takings, timeliness, turn a penny, turn to account, turn to profit, turnout, unearned income, use, usefulness, utilize, value, wealth, welfare, well-being, whet, winnings, wisdom, work, work for, world of good, worth, worthwhileness, yield, yield a profit