in the black

prepositional phrase

Having positive net income; having greater income than expenses; making a profit.

Opposite
in the holein the red
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Meanings

prepositional phrase
  1. idiomaticaccountingHaving positive net income; having greater income than expenses; making a profit.
  2. idiomaticaccountingHaving positive net worth.

Synonyms & antonyms

Opposite
in the holein the red
Also see
on the nutsolvent

Origin

From the standard accounting practice of using black ink, as opposed to red ink, to denote positive values, especially a net income.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

French dans le noir
  • dans le noirhaving positive net income
Japanese 黒字で
  • 黒字で (kuroji de)having positive net income
Korean 흑자
  • 흑자 (heukja)having positive net income
Portuguese no azul
  • no azulhaving positive net income
Romanian pe plus
  • pe plushaving positive net income
Cite this entry
APA

in the black. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/in%20the%20black

MLA

“in the black.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/in%20the%20black. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “in the black,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/in%20the%20black.

Source: in the black on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.