red ink

noun

1
: a business loss : deficit
2
: the condition of showing a business loss

Examples of red ink in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Indeed, The Associated Press reports that California’s Medicaid program is hemorrhaging red ink. Editorial, Boston Herald, 22 May 2025 The Reds are the manufacturers, claiming that this will engulf their accounts in red ink and hand their markets to Chinese automakers. Neil Winton, Forbes.com, 18 May 2025 And now, the remainder of those trims have run into the reality of a Trump agenda that could explode the red ink on the federal ledger by anywhere from $5 to $11 trillion over the next decade. Philip Elliott, Time, 14 May 2025 The shift is especially apparent if your Bible renders Jesus’s words in red ink. Dominic Pino, National Review, 20 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for red ink

Word History

Etymology

from the use of red ink in financial statements to indicate a loss

First Known Use

1926, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of red ink was in 1926

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Red ink.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/red%20ink. Accessed 9 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

red ink

noun
1
: a business loss
2
: the condition of showing a business loss
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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