break-even

American  

[breyk-ee-vuhn] / ˈbreɪkˈi vən /

Or breakeven

adjective

1. having income exactly equal to expenditure, thus showing neither profit nor loss.

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noun

1. break-even point.

2. Energy. the stage at which a fission or fusion reaction becomes self-sustaining.

break even British  

verb

1. (intr, adverb) to attain a level of activity, as in commerce, or a point of operation, as in gambling, at which there is neither profit nor loss

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noun

1. accounting

   1. the level of commercial activity at which the total cost and total revenue of a business enterprise are equal

   2. ( as modifier )

      breakeven prices

break even Idioms  

1. Neither gain nor lose in some venture, recoup the amount one invested. For example, If the dealer sells five cars a week, he'll break even. This expression probably came from one or another card game (some authorities say it was faro), where it meant to bet that a card would win and lose an equal number of times. It soon was transferred to balancing business gains and losses. Novelist Sinclair Lewis so used it in Our Mr. Wrenn (1914). The usage gave rise to the noun break-even point, for the amount of sales or production needed for a firm to recoup its investment. [Late 1800s]

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Etymology

Origin of break-even

An Americanism dating back to 1935–40

Example Sentences

A separate survey of manufacturing activity, S&P Global’s PMI for manufacturing, came in at 52.2, down slightly from October’s 52.5, but still above the 50 break-even line, according to its report published Monday.

From The Wall Street Journal

The break-even point — which is when the difference between getting smaller Social Security checks for longer or larger checks for shorter balances out — is in the early 80s, after all.

From MarketWatch

Musk said in December that Twitter is on track to be "roughly cash flow break-even" in 2023 as top advertisers slashed their spending on the social-media platform after the billionaire' s takeover.

From Reuters

“They have come close enough to their goal of ignition and break-even to call it a success.”

From New York Times

But as buyers pushed for barely break-even prices on these drugs over the last couple decades, generic manufacturers consolidated.

From Seattle Times