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bottom line

noun

the last line of a financial statement, used for showing net profit or loss.
net profit or loss.
the deciding or crucial factor.
the ultimate result; outcome.

bottom line

noun

the last line of a financial statement that shows the net profit or loss of a company or organization
the final outcome of a process, discussion, etc
the most important or fundamental aspect of a situation

bottom line

The last line in an audit , which shows profit or loss.

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Notes

“Bottom line” also has a derogatory implication when it refers to those people whose attention to the bottom line prevents them from recognizing the value of anything else.

By extension, “bottom line” refers to the final, determining consideration in a decision.

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Other Word Forms

��ǳ�t�ǳ�-��Ա� adjective

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Word History and Origins

Origin of bottom line¹

First recorded in 1965–70

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Idioms and Phrases

The ultimate result, the upshot; also, the main point or crucial factor. For example, The bottom line is that the chairman wants to dictate all of the board's decisions , or Whether or not he obeyed the law is the bottom line . This is an accounting term that refers to the earnings figures that appear on the bottom (last) line of a statement. It began to be transferred to other contexts in the mid-1900s.

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

The bottom line is that it’s not all the fault of researchers.

From

“The bottom line is that people don’t know what their insurance is until they have to use it,” Kallen said.

From

Other importers fear for their bottom line, including some in the nail salon industry that has lifted many Vietnamese Americans into the middle class.

From

The bottom line is that in golf and in sport in general, McIlroy is right up there.

From

“The bottom line is this is a giveaway to emitters, just letting them off the hook entirely,” said Rachel Cleetus, senior policy director with the Climate and Energy program at the Union of Concerned Scientists.

From

Related Words

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

bottomless pit bottom-liner

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