revenue

Everyday

(formal) The money that a business or government gets in, before costs are taken away; income. tree →

In the lessons

In maths word problems revenue = price × number sold; profit = revenue − costs. In social studies, governments get revenue from taxes. Exam questions use this formal word. Phrases: tax revenue, raise revenue, revenue from sales.

Examples

• The school fair's revenue was £500. tree →
• If we sell 40 cookies at 50p each, the revenue is £20. tree →
• The government gets revenue from taxes. tree →
• Revenue went up when the shop opened on Sundays. tree →
• The club's main revenue comes from ticket sales. tree →
• Subtract costs from revenue to find the profit. tree →
• Then the king was pleased, and gave him the revenue of many villages. tree →

Note

Revenue is not the same as profit: profit is what is left after paying costs. Usually uncountable; revenues can mean several streams of income. Formal; the everyday word is income or takings.

In Jewish tradition

Income or earnings, here of the righteous, the wicked and of a trading city.

Interpretation. Proverbs teaches that honest small earnings are better than large gain from injustice, and the sages stress honest dealing in business.

Examples

• Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues with injustice. (Writings PRO.16.8, JPS 1917) tree →
• In the house of the righteous is much treasure; but in the revenues of the wicked is trouble. (Writings PRO.15.6, JPS 1917) tree →
• And on great waters the seed of Shihor, the harvest of the Nile, was her revenue; and she was the mart of nations. (Prophets ISA.23.3, JPS 1917) tree →

Note

Revenue is not the same as profit: profit is what is left after paying costs. Usually uncountable; revenues can mean several streams of income. Formal; the everyday word is income or takings.