Meaning & use
declining revenue
Last updated
Meaning
phraseuncountablebusinessfinance
Money that a company or organization receives from sales, falling over a period of time.
Grammar: Used as an uncountable noun phrase; it takes a singular verb, e.g. 'Declining revenue is a problem.'
Patterns
- declining revenue from something
- a decline in revenue
- revenue is declining
The company reported declining revenue for the third quarter in a row.
Declining revenue forced the store to close two of its branches.
Analysts blamed the declining revenue on weak holiday sales.
Common combinations
- declining revenue
- The firm's declining revenue worried investors.
- a decline in revenue
- There was a sharp decline in revenue last year.
- revenue is declining
- Revenue is declining because fewer people are buying.
- falling revenue
- Falling revenue led to budget cuts.
Synonyms and how they differ
- falling revenue
- Very similar, but 'falling' is more common in everyday speech; 'declining' sounds slightly more formal or technical.
- slumping revenue
- Stronger and more dramatic; suggests a sudden, large drop rather than a gradual decline.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: declining revenue or declining profits?
declining revenue vs declining profits
Profits are what is left after costs; revenue is the total money coming in. A company can have declining revenue but still make a profit if it cuts costs.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'declining revenue' correctly?
Choose one answer.
In this sense 'revenue' is uncountable and takes a singular verb, so 'is' is correct. 'Are' and 'have' are plural and do not agree.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “declining revenue”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.