profit taking

American  

noun

Stock Exchange.

1. the selling of securities that have risen in price above costs; selling in order to realize a profit.

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profit taking British  

noun

1. selling commodities, securities, etc, at a profit after a rise in market values or before an expected fall in values

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Etymology

Origin of profit taking

First recorded in 1895–1900

Example Sentences

Net income for the quarter more than doubled year-on-year to $42.96 billion, causing a share price bump that was quickly erased by apparent investor profit taking.

From Barron's • Feb. 25, 2026

Hirsch said he thinks recent strong stock-market performance has led to more profit taking after New Year’s Day.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 4, 2026

Earlier this week, they warned that tech stocks might suffer from profit taking in the near term, but noted that "it's too early to call an end to the AI investment boom".

From BBC • Nov. 20, 2025

The fall was triggered by profit taking and coincided with largest single-day outflow from gold-backed exchange-traded funds in five months, Kim writes.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 24, 2025

So he schooled himself to be patient, and put in his time to good profit taking the measures of his shipmates and learning his way about ship.

From Alias the Lone Wolf by Vance, Louis Joseph