red ink
noun
1
: a business loss : deficit
2
: the condition of showing a business loss
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Mercury appears in the Confucian texts where the monks went back to highlight an important passage in red ink. 
Gregory Barber, WIRED, 29 Aug. 2022 In his response, Doig posted one of the early drafts of the Puliafito story with his handwritten edits in red ink. Cara Fitzpatrick, Washington Post, 19 Aug. 2022 Like Peloton, Wayfair has shifted into reverse and into red ink. Chris Isidore, CNN, 28 Aug. 2022 Another is the gargantuan $18.6 trillion rise in Social Security red ink (its unfunded liability). Laurence Kotlikoff, Forbes, 7 July 2022 While Perot’s gimlet-eyed fear of budgetary red ink fit with the views of elite thinkers, his warnings about the costs of free trade were dismissed as Luddite nuttiness by the leaders of both parties. Walter Shapiro, The New Republic, 27 June 2022 So it’s a relief that playwright Lolita Chakrabarti has opted not to spell out the contemporary subtext of her 1800s-set play in bold, red ink. Thomas Floyd, Washington Post, 24 June 2022 Startups are forced to raise several rounds of funding to stem the tide of red ink as executives grow the business toward profitability. Jon Markman, Forbes, 6 July 2022 The San Antonio financial institution posted a $30 million profit in the three months ended March 31, snapping seven consecutive quarters of red ink. Patrick Danner, San Antonio Express-News, 2 May 2022 See More
Gregory Barber, WIRED, 29 Aug. 2022 In his response, Doig posted one of the early drafts of the Puliafito story with his handwritten edits in red ink. Cara Fitzpatrick, Washington Post, 19 Aug. 2022 Like Peloton, Wayfair has shifted into reverse and into red ink. Chris Isidore, CNN, 28 Aug. 2022 Another is the gargantuan $18.6 trillion rise in Social Security red ink (its unfunded liability). Laurence Kotlikoff, Forbes, 7 July 2022 While Perot’s gimlet-eyed fear of budgetary red ink fit with the views of elite thinkers, his warnings about the costs of free trade were dismissed as Luddite nuttiness by the leaders of both parties. Walter Shapiro, The New Republic, 27 June 2022 So it’s a relief that playwright Lolita Chakrabarti has opted not to spell out the contemporary subtext of her 1800s-set play in bold, red ink. Thomas Floyd, Washington Post, 24 June 2022 Startups are forced to raise several rounds of funding to stem the tide of red ink as executives grow the business toward profitability. Jon Markman, Forbes, 6 July 2022 The San Antonio financial institution posted a $30 million profit in the three months ended March 31, snapping seven consecutive quarters of red ink. Patrick Danner, San Antonio Express-News, 2 May 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
from the use of red ink in financial statements to indicate a loss
First Known Use
1926, in the meaning defined at sense 1