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Profit vs Reward - What's the difference?

profit | reward | Related terms |

In transitive terms the difference between profit and reward

is that profit is to benefit (somebody), be of use to (somebody) while reward is to recompense.

profit

English

(wikipedia profit)

Noun

(en noun)
  • Total income or cash flow minus expenditures. The money or other benefit a non-governmental organization or individual receives in exchange for products and services sold at an advertised price.
  • * Rambler
  • Let no man anticipate uncertain profits .
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-22, volume=407, issue=8841, page=68, magazine=(The Economist)
  • , title= T time , passage=The ability to shift profits' to low-tax countries by locating intellectual property in them, which is then licensed to related businesses in high-tax countries, is often assumed to be the preserve of high-tech companies. […] current tax rules make it easy for all sorts of firms to generate […] “stateless income”: ' profit subject to tax in a jurisdiction that is neither the location of the factors of production that generate the income nor where the parent firm is domiciled.}}
  • (dated, literary) Benefit, positive result obtained.
  • * Bible, 1 Corinthians vii. 35
  • This I speak for your own profit .
  • * Shakespeare
  • if you dare do yourself a profit and a right
  • (legal) In property law, a nonpossessory interest in land whereby a party is entitled to enter the land of another for the purpose of taking the soil or the substance of the soil (coal, oil, minerals, and in some jurisdictions timber and game).
  • Usage notes

    Regarding the income sense, when the difference is negative the term loss is correct. Negative profit does appear in microeconomics. Profit by a government agency is called a surplus.

    Synonyms

    * gain

    Antonyms

    * loss

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To benefit (somebody), be of use to (somebody).
  • * Bible, Hebrews iv. 2
  • The word preached did not profit them.
  • * Dryden
  • It is a great means of profiting yourself, to copy diligently excellent pieces and beautiful designs.
  • To benefit, gain.
  • To take advantage of, exploit, use.
  • Derived terms

    * book profit * for-profit * for fun and profit * nonprofit * not-for-profit * paper profit * profit from * profitable * profitably * profiteer * profit margin * profit sharing * profit taking

    reward

    English

    Etymology 1

    From (etyl) reward, rewarde, from (etyl) variants of Old French, ultimately of (etyl) ((etyl)) origin. Compare ''regard'', ''warden'', ''guard . See more below. Displaced native (etyl) .

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • Something of value given in return for an act.
  • For catching the thief, you'll get a nice reward .
  • A prize promised for a certain deed or catch
  • ''The rewards for bringing in badly wanted criminals are printed on 'dead or alive' posters
  • The result of an action, whether good or bad.
  • Is this the reward I get for telling the truth: to be put in jail?
  • * {{quote-news
  • , year=2013 , date=January 22 , author=Phil McNulty , title=Aston Villa 2-1 Bradford (3-4) , work=BBC citation , page= , passage=Christian Benteke's first-half goal was just reward for Villa's undoubted superiority but Bradford managed to survive without further damage until half-time, before scoring the goal that takes them to Wembley for the first time since 1996.}}
    Synonyms
    * (something of value given in return for an act) payment, recompense * (prize promised for a certain deed or catch) bounty * (result of an action) consequence
    Antonyms
    * punishment

    Etymology 2

    From (etyl) rewarden, from (etyl) . More at (l).

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To give (something) as a reward.
  • *:
  • *:Thenne syr Marhaus departed and within two dayes his damoysel brought hym where as was a grete tornement that the lady de Vawse has cryed // And there syr Marhaus dyd so nobly that he was renomed / & had somtyme doune fourty knyghtes / and soo the serklet of gold was rewarded hym
  • *Bible, 1 Sam. xxiv. 17:
  • *:Thou hast rewarded' me good, whereas I have ' rewarded thee evil.
  • (label) To give a reward to or for.
  • :
  • (label) To recompense.
  • :
  • *{{quote-news, year=2011, date=September 2, author=Phil McNulty, work=BBC
  • , title= Bulgaria 0-3 England , passage=The Italian opted for Bolton's Cahill alongside captain John Terry - and his decision was rewarded with a goal after only 13 minutes. Bulgaria gave a hint of defensive frailties to come when they failed to clear Young's corner, and when Gareth Barry found Cahill in the box he applied the finish past Nikolay Mihaylov.}}
    Derived terms
    * rewardable * rewarder * rewarding * unrewarded

    Anagrams

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