Dictionary

break even en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (Australia) audio

Meanings

1. (idiomatic) To neither gain nor lose a quantity of something, (especially) money.
   • After an entire night playing poker, he nearly broke even.
   • "How much energy did you gain from those attacks verses^([sic – meaning versus]) how much did you use to heal?" "It was a small net loss. Close enough that I basically broke even. The nose hurt more, but the knee required more energy to put back together." 2021 August 30, Dave Barrack, Grrl Power (webcomic), Grrl Power #975 – Cheap kick:
   • The BTC had no clear plan how to fulfil its remit to break even, year-on-year. 2023 March 8, David Clough, “The long road that led to Beeching”, in RAIL, number 978, page 43:
2. (idiomatic) To stay the same; to neither advance nor regress.
   • It's a lot of work just to break even and keep the weeds down.

Forms

Deriveds

break-even point · break-even · break-even time

Relateds

wash its face · pay for itself · at cost

Translations (18)

fi olla omillaan (to neither gain nor lose money) · fi päästä omilleen (to neither gain nor lose money) · pl wychodzić na to samo (to stay the same) · cmn 保本 (to neither gain nor lose money) · fi pysyä ennallaan (to stay the same) · pl wyjść na to samo (to stay the same) · fr ne pas changer d'un iota (to stay the same) · sv gå jämnt ut (to neither gain nor lose money) · fr rentrer dans ses frais (to neither gain nor lose money) · fi pysyä paikallaan (to stay the same) · fi breikata (to neither gain nor lose money) · cmn 不賠不賺 /不赔不赚 (to neither gain nor lose money) · de mit plus/minus null rauskommen (to neither gain nor lose money) · pl wychodzić na zero (to neither gain nor lose money) · pl wyjść na zero (to neither gain nor lose money) · es no tener pérdidas (to neither gain nor lose money) · de den Ist-Zustand bewahren (to stay the same) · es cubrir gastos (to neither gain nor lose money)