idiom · neutral
in the black
/ɪn ðə blæk/in·the·BLACK
not owing money; making a profit
Examples
“After months of cost-cutting, the restaurant finally finished the quarter in the black.”
“Small businesses hope to be in the black by the end of the year.”
“The charity is still not in the black despite several fundraisers.”
Band 8 sentence
“After restructuring its debt and reducing overheads, the charity is finally in the black and can expand its services next year.”
Collocations
- be in the black
- end/finish the quarter in the black
Word family
Common mistakes
We are in black.→We are in the black.
Our account is black.→Our account is in the black.
They were in the blacks last year.→They were in the black last year.
Say it for a higher band
5making profit→6making a small profit→7+in the black
Synonyms
profitable
Easily confused
in the red
“After heavy investment, the company reported that it was still in the red.”
Related words
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In Money
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