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.

Origin:
1965–70

Related forms

bot·tom-line, adjective

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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Bottom-line is always a great word to know.

So is quincunx. Does it mean:

a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.

an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.

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Collins

World English Dictionary

bottom line

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

bottom line

fig. sense is attested from 1967, from profit and loss accounting, where the final figure after both are calculated is the bottom line on the page. Also (esp. as an adj.) bottomline.

American Heritage

Cultural Dictionary

bottom line definition

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

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

Note: “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.

Matching Quote

"The genius of capitalism consists precisely in its lack of morality. Unless he is rich enough to hire his own choir, a capitalist is a fellow who, by definition, can ill afford to believe in anything other than the doctrine of the bottom line. Deprive a capitalist of his God-given right to lie and cheat and steal, and the poor sap stands a better than even chance of becoming one of the abominable wards of the state from whose grimy fingers the Reagan Administration hopes to snatch the ark of democracy."

-Lewis H. Lapham

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