lexicow

revenue

/ˈrevənuː//ˈrevənjuː/·noun
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Definition

Revenue is the total money flowing into an organization — from sales, fees, or taxes — before any costs are taken out. It comes from the French revenir, 'to come back': value sent into the market returning as income. Students routinely confuse it with profit, yet revenue is only the top line. A firm's revenue can fluctuate sharply from one quarter to the next while its expenses quietly accumulate, so strong sales never guarantee that anything is left over at the end.

Examples

  • The streaming service reported record revenue last year, though most of it was eaten up by production costs.
  • Falling oil prices caused the country's revenue to deplete faster than its budget could adapt.
  • Coastal towns enjoy abundant revenue in summer, then must survive the lean winter months.

Collocations

generate revenue·a sharp drop in revenue·revenue stream·tax revenue·boost annual revenue·revenue growth

Synonyms

income·earnings·proceeds·receipts·turnover

Antonyms

expenditure·expense·outlay

In TOEFL & IELTS

In IELTS Writing Task 1 you will often describe a graph of revenue over several years — rose, peaked, and fluctuated pair naturally with it. In TOEFL business lectures, examiners test whether you can separate revenue (money in) from profit (money left after costs). Treating the two as synonyms is a common slip; keeping them distinct signals precision. Note the uncountable use and collocations like generate / boost revenue.