bottom-line

1 of 2

adjective

bot·​tom-line ˈbä-təm-ˌlīn How to pronounce bottom-line (audio)
1
: concerned only with cost or profits
2
bottom-liner noun chiefly US, often disparaging

bottom line

2 of 2

noun

1
a
: the essential or salient point : crux
b
: the primary or most important consideration
2
a
: the line at the bottom of a financial report that shows the net profit or loss
b
: financial considerations (such as cost or profit or loss)
c
: the final result

Examples of bottom-line in a Sentence

Noun If our flight is late, we will miss our connection. That's the bottom line. A student with special needs can stress a school's budget, but the bottom line is that the state must provide for the child's education. How will these changes affect our bottom line? He's always got his eye on the bottom line. He says his bottom line is $120,000.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The company has seen its bottom line boosted by demand for chips that can power the artificial intelligence boom, like its Blackwell and H200 chips. Britney Nguyen, Quartz, 23 May 2024 The bottom line is that the church is there to love. Melanie Stetson Freeman, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for bottom-line 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bottom-line.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1968, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1830, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of bottom-line was in 1830

Dictionary Entries Near bottom-line

bottom line

bottom-line

bottommost

Cite this Entry

“Bottom-line.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bottom-line. Accessed 1 Jun. 2024.

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