bottom line

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bottom line

Where it comes from

A reference to the literal bottom line of an income statement or other accounting record.

noun bottom lines

countable, uncountable The final balance; the amount of money or profit left after everything has been tallied. For quotations using this term, see Citations:bottom line.
countable, idiomatic, uncountable The summary or result; the most important information. The bottom line is that there simply are not enough hours in the day to finish all there is to do.
Similar: upshot, net-net
countable, idiomatic, uncountable A minimum acceptable result from a negotiation. My bottom line for this job is $125,000; any less and I'll walk away.
Similar: BATNA, reservation price

adverb

not comparable Synonym of all in all. Bottom line, there's no way we're coming to the family reunion, as we can't afford hotel stays and airfares right now.
Similar: all in all

Translations

Every language

noun final balance

Español	saldo final, crematística
中文	帐本底线
Português	saldo
Français	résultat net
Deutsch	Endergebnis, Ergebnis unterm Strich

noun summary or result

Español	conclusión, mascadito
中文	总结 zǒngjié
Français	résumé
Deutsch	Fazit, Ergebnis unterm Strich
العربية	حاصل الأمر
עברית	שורה תחתונה

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MLA

"bottom line." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/bottom%20line. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

bottom line. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/bottom%20line

Chicago

"bottom line." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/bottom%20line.

BibTeX

@misc{bottom_line_2026,
  title = {bottom line},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/bottom%20line},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}