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.
Origin
1965-70
Related forms
bottom-line, adjective
Examples from the web for bottom line
  • bottom line folks, this stuff works, and you will be benefitting within a couple of years.
  • The bottom line is that this is really complicated stuff, and don't believe anybody who says otherwise.
  • bottom line: don't expect me to back off from natives any time soon.
  • bottom line, he knows this subject thoroughly and is used to breaking down its complexities for those of us less versed.
  • It's a fair point, and one that brings us to the bottom line: if you want to try decanting, go for it.
  • Of course, crowd management cost money-it comes out of the bottom line.
  • Yes, the middle manager does not always contribute directly to the bottom line.
  • The reasons are multiple and complex, but the bottom line is that the state's world-renowned plumbing is now perilously stressed.
  • Still, over more than ten years, the bottom line of billions of measurements has been positive.
  • The bottom line is that time travel is allowed by the laws of physics.
British Dictionary definitions for bottom line

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
Word Origin and History for bottom line
n.

figurative sense is attested from 1967, from profit and loss accounting, where the final figure after both are calculated is the bottom line on the page. Also (especially as an adjective) bottomline.

bottom line in Culture

bottom line definition


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

Note: By extension, “bottom line” refers to the final, determining consideration in a decision.
Note: “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.
Idioms and Phrases with bottom line

bottom line

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.