Meaning & use
in the red
In debt, or operating at a financial loss rather than a profit.
See it in a sentence
The small bookstore has been in the red for three consecutive quarters.
After the failed product launch, the entire division ended the year in the red.
A note on using this word
Comes from the old accounting practice of recording losses in red ink; its opposite, "in the black," means profitable.
Words with a similar meaning
in debtlosing money
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
in the black
Make it your own
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