turn profit

Meanings

1. 1phraseidiombusiness

   to begin making money after paying all the costs of running a business.

   Grammar: Most often 'turn a profit'; the noun is countable, so the article 'a' is normal.

   Patterns

   • turn a profit
   • turn a profit on something
   • start to turn a profit

   The shop finally turned a profit after two difficult years.

   They hope to turn a profit on the new product by next spring.

   It is hard for small farms to turn a profit these days.

2. 2phraseidiomfinance

   to sell something for more money than you paid for it.

   Grammar: Often used with 'on': turn a profit on a house or shares.

   Patterns

   • turn a profit on something

   She turned a profit on the apartment she sold.

   He turned a profit on his old car.

Common combinations

turn a profit

The restaurant began to turn a profit last year.

turn a quick profit

They bought the land to turn a quick profit.

struggle to turn a profit

Many airlines struggled to turn a profit during the crisis.

turn a profit on an investment

He turned a profit on his investment in gold.

make a profit

The company made a profit of two million dollars.

Synonyms and how they differ

make a profit

The most common and neutral phrase; use it when you simply state the result, while 'turn a profit' often stresses the change from loss to gain.

be in the black

Informal business idiom meaning not owing money; it describes a state, not the act of becoming profitable.

break even

Means making neither a profit nor a loss, so it is not a true synonym but often comes just before turning a profit.

Opposites

Word family

profitable adjective

making money or giving a benefit.

profit noun

the money left after costs are paid.

profitability noun

the ability of a business to make a profit.

Commonly confused: turn profit or prophet?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “turn profit”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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