bottom line

noun

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

bottom line

noun

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

bottom line

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

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.

Other Word Forms

• bottom-line adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of bottom line¹

First recorded in 1965–70

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.

Example Sentences

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

From BBC

“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 Salon

I guess that’s what happens when you get a corporation running a studio because their bottom line is the stockholders and ours is our audience.

From Los Angeles Times

The bottom line is that there is a real value in acknowledging and processing your trauma and healing, because then you can actually experience a change.

From Los Angeles Times

Having more productive and less distracted employees can ultimately help a company’s bottom line.

From Salon

Related Words

• cardinal
• critical
• crucial
• essential
• fundamental
• important
• indispensable