idiom (adjective phrase) · neutral
in the red
UK/ɪn ðə red/US/ɪn ðə rɛd/IN THE RED
task2speaking
having a negative balance or running at a loss
Examples
“The company has been in the red for three consecutive quarters.”
“If you withdraw more than your balance you'll end up in the red.”
“Small shops often operate in the red during off-season months.”
Band 8 sentence
“Despite emergency funding, many community centres remained in the red by the end of the fiscal year.”
Collocations
- be in the red at the end of the year
- run in the red
Word family
in the red; red ink (noun) adjective phrase / noun
Common mistakes
on the red→in the red
in red→in the red
Say it for a higher band
5in debt→6running a deficit→7+in the red
Synonyms
in debt
Easily confused
in debt
“After years of overspending, the family found themselves heavily in debt.”
Related words
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In Hardship
Learn it with its set