Phrase guide

paper profit

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Apparent profit shown in accounts but not realized in an expendable form.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • The company had paper profits of two million dollars, but everyone knew that depreciation meant they had really lost 10 million.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

an unrealized gain on an investment calculated by subtracting the investor's cost from the current market price

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: paper loss

Broader terms: gain

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.