amountnoun
uh-MOWNT
The total sum of money; how much of something there is.
"What is the total amount owed on the invoice?"
sumnoun
sum
A particular amount of money.
"She invested a large sum of money in government bonds."
totalnoun / adjective
TOH-tul
The complete amount, adding everything together.
"The total cost of the project came to $2.4 million."
balancenoun
BAL-uns
The amount of money in an account, or the difference between credits and debits.
"Her bank balance fell below zero after the unexpected expense."
budgetnoun / verb
BUJ-it
A plan showing how money will be earned and spent over a period of time.
"The company's annual budget allocates $500,000 to marketing."
affordverb
uh-FORD
To have enough money to pay for something.
"We cannot afford the new equipment — we'll have to wait until next quarter."
debtnoun
det
Money that is owed to someone else. Note: the 'b' is silent.
"The company is carrying $4 billion in long-term debt."
oweverb
oh
To be required to pay money to someone.
"I owe the bank $15,000 on my car loan."
lendverb
lend
To give money to someone on the condition that they pay it back. The bank lends; you borrow.
"Banks lend money to businesses at a rate linked to the central bank's base rate."
borrowverb
BOR-oh
To receive money from someone with the agreement to pay it back, usually with interest.
"She borrowed $10,000 from the bank to cover her tuition fees."
interestnoun (uncountable)
IN-ter-est
The cost of borrowing money, expressed as a percentage of the amount borrowed, paid over time.
"The loan carries an interest rate of 6.5% per annum."
percentagenoun
per-SEN-tij
A proportion expressed as a fraction of 100, shown with the % symbol.
"Inflation rose by 0.3 percentage points last month."
ratenoun
rayt
A fixed price, charge, or measure — used in interest rate, exchange rate, tax rate, and growth rate.
"The central bank cut its rate by 25 basis points."
profitnoun
PROF-it
The financial gain after costs and expenses are deducted from revenue.
"The company reported a profit of $1.2 billion for the quarter."
lossnoun
lawss
A situation where costs exceed revenue; money spent without a return.
"The airline reported a net loss of $800 million during the pandemic."
break evenverb phrase
brayk EE-ven
To reach the point where revenue exactly equals costs — making neither profit nor loss.
"The new product will take two years to break even."
revenuenoun
REV-en-yoo
The total income generated by a business before expenses are deducted. Also called turnover.
"Apple's annual revenue exceeded $390 billion in 2023."
expensenoun
ek-SPENS
A cost incurred in running a business or household.
"Business-class travel is not an approved expense."
grossadjective
grohs
The total amount before any deductions such as tax, fees, or costs.
"Her gross income is $90,000; her net income after tax is approximately $65,000."
netadjective
net
The amount remaining after all deductions — tax, costs, fees — have been made.
"Net profit fell by 12% despite strong revenue growth."
marginnoun
MAR-jin
The difference between revenue and cost, expressed as a percentage of revenue. A measure of profitability.
"The company maintains a healthy profit margin of 22%."
cash flownoun
kash floh
The movement of money in and out of a business over a period of time. Positive cash flow means more comes in than goes out.
"Strong cash flow allows the company to fund expansion without borrowing."
overheadnoun
OH-ver-hed
Regular fixed costs of running a business that do not change with output — rent, salaries, utilities.
"High overhead costs are making it difficult to price the product competitively."
invoicenoun / verb
IN-voyss
A document requesting payment for goods or services provided.
"She sent an invoice for $3,500 at the end of the project."