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bottom line

bottom line

26 4.0
The final total showing a company's profit or loss
  • noun
  • /ˈbɑːtəm laɪn/
  • Specialized
translation icon : resultado neto
  • Both types of groups are able to deliver a positive bottom line.
  • the financial bottom line
  • the company's bottom line
  • look at the bottom line

And when the income goes down, then obviously the bottom line goes down.

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Examples

  • "The result can have a huge impact on a company's bottom line," he says.

    Academic text (1998)
  • Every year the company grows its bottom line by M dollars.

  • And when the income goes down, then obviously the bottom line goes down.

  • How might she help other family members gain training that could improve their financial bottom line?

    Academic text (2015)
  • The social workers who remain must do more with less, with an eye on the bottom line.

    Academic text (2008)
  • Because these global issues increasingly impact business, not engaging with them can hurt the bottom line.

    Academic text (2008)
  • Issued on 8 April, the fiscal 1994 budget has a bottom line of $1.5 trillion.

    Academic text (1994)
  • Most restaurants also make an effort to conserve energy because "it's good for the bottom line."

    Academic text (2009)
  • For the companies making these investments, the Caspian energy boom has always been about the bottom line.

    Academic text (2000)
  • In the last quarter, our bottom line showed a significant improvement, indicating higher profits than expected.

Synonyms

net income
vsbottom line
  • Specialized
20 3.0

Money a person or business keeps after paying costs and taxes

is the account's final total and can mean the most important result
net profit
vsbottom line
  • Specialized
6 3.2

Money left after paying all costs, taxes, and other charges

is the final account total and also denotes the main outcome
profits
vsbottom line
  • Specialized
1 2.3

Money left after paying all costs and taxes

is the specific final total value and also the primary outcome

How Profitable

surplus
192 3.1
net profit
  • Specialized
6 3.2
bottom line
  • Specialized
26 4.0
deficit
674 4.3

Surface Forms

bottom line singular
bottom lines plural
bottom-lines plural
bottom-line singular

Morphology

bottom + line

The meaning is partly compositional: 'bottom' (lowest) + 'line' evokes the total shown at the bottom of an account, so a learner who knows the words can often infer the financial sense. However, the metaphorical extension to 'the most important outcome' and the reliance on accounting/layout conventions are not fully predictable for a B1 learner without prior exposure, making it only partially transparent.

Etymology

Bottom line comes from accounting, where the final number on the bottom line of a sheet shows the company's total 'profit or loss'. Because that last number shows the real result, the phrase now also means that final financial outcome.