in the red
7
4.9
- idiom
:
en números rojos
- The federal budget may be huge, but it is also finite—and deeply in the red.
I went into it being told that I would be in the red.
- I went into it being told that I would be in the red.
- I know that gut wrenching anxiety when you go to check your bank balance and you just hope that it won't be in the red.
Examples
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A full year of being in the red will kill them, and this is the year.
Blog text (20) -
Granger Aeronautics has been in the red for the past year.
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And they have been running in the red for decades now.
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Ray, we are in the red!
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You guys are in the red.
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You and I know that the books are still in the red.
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How can your company be selling millions of dollars of merchandise and still be in the red?
Blog text (17) -
Both GM and Ford are operating in the red in Europe.
Blog text (13) -
Worth noting here is that Rutgers' athletic department was $26.8 million in the red in 2010-11.
Blog text (17) -
Granger Aeronautics has been in the red for the past year.
Synonyms
5
4.0
You spend more money than is in your bank account
1
6.5
In debt because a business is losing money
Antonyms
How Profitable
191
3.8
9
5.5
27
3.3
7
4.9
- Specialized
18
7.7
Surface Forms
Morphology
in + the + red
The adjective phrase relies on a conventional accounting metaphor—losses are shown in red ink—so while 'in' + 'red' signals a state and the color suggests danger or negativity, the specific financial meaning ('operating at a loss') is a metaphorical extension rather than strictly compositional. This construction is common across languages (e.g. Spanish 'en números rojos', French 'dans le rouge'), which helps learners guess the general negative/financial sense, but the precise accounting meaning usually requires some prior exposure.
Etymology
In the red comes from old account books where people wrote losses in red ink. So if an account was in the red it meant you were 'in debt' or losing money.