black ink

noun

: a business profit or surplus
While battered rivals … are only now glimpsing black ink, Cisco is racking up record profits.—Peter Burrows, Business Week, 24 Nov. 2003
: the condition of showing a profit
Corporations … have realized that green behavior can mean black ink …—Sharon Begley, Newsweek, 24 Apr. 2000
compare red ink

Word History

Etymology

from the use of black ink in financial statements to indicate a profit

First Known Use

1932, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of black ink was in 1932

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Dictionary Entries Near black ink

blacking

black ink

black ipecac

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Black ink.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/black%20ink. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

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