Idiom
The bottom line
What does 'the bottom line' mean?
'The bottom line' means the essential fact or conclusion; in business, it can mean the final profit or loss after costs. For example, 'The bottom line is that we need better lighting.' Use 'the bottom line is that' before a complete statement, although speakers may omit 'that' in conversation.
Key points
- It identifies the fact that settles an issue.
- It can describe a business's final financial result.
- Use 'the bottom line is that' before a complete statement.
- The phrase sounds firm and conclusive.
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Stage 1 of 5
Understand
What it means, when to use it, and mistakes to avoid.
Watch & learn
The bottom line
Use the bottom line to state the essential fact or conclusion, and recognize when it means a business's final profit or loss.
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Theo: The bottom line? Is the line of my ?
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The full explanation
The bottom line means the most important fact, conclusion, or result. In a financial context, it can mean the final profit or loss after costs are included.
The bottom line is that we need a place everyone can reach.
Why it works: The phrase identifies the main requirement for a decision.
2 more examples
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Wasted food is hurting the restaurant's bottom line.
Here the phrase refers to the restaurant's financial result.
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I understand the delay, but the bottom line is that we need the keys today.
Acknowledging the difficulty makes the direct conclusion less abrupt.
Read the full guide
Choose the fact that decides the issue
Use the bottom line when you want to pull several details together into one essential point. Imagine choosing a room for an evening class. One room has better chairs; another has more space. However, only one is available at the right time. Your bottom line identifies the fact that settles the choice. It should help the listener understand what follows from the discussion.
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The chairs are nicer upstairs, but the bottom line is that we need a room tonight.
Why it works: Availability matters more than the other details in this decision.
Your turn
What does the speaker identify as the bottom line?
Answer: The need for a room tonight
Show the answer
Answer: The need for a room tonight
The immediate need for a room determines the choice.
Check whether the result is financial
The financial meaning concerns the final profit or loss after costs are included. More sales do not always improve the bottom line because costs may also rise. However, mentioning money does not automatically make the expression financial. In a conversation about your own budget, the bottom line is that I cannot afford it introduces your essential conclusion. Use the surrounding sentence to choose the meaning.
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The bakery sold more bread, but higher rent hurt its bottom line.
Why it works: Sales and costs point to the financial meaning.
This also comes up in To put someone on the spot and Crossed wires.
Your turn
Which sentence clearly describes a business's financial result?
Answer: Lower fuel costs improved our bottom line.
Show the answer
Answer: Lower fuel costs improved our bottom line.
The sentence connects lower business costs with a better financial result.
Put a complete statement after that
A useful pattern is the bottom line is that followed by a complete statement with a subject and a verb. In the bottom line is that the door must stay open, the door is the subject and must stay is the verb phrase. Keep is before that. Speakers sometimes leave out that, but keeping it gives you a reliable pattern for both speaking and writing.
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The bottom line is that the repair takes three days.
Why it works: The words after that form a complete statement.
Your turn
Which sentence follows the complete pattern?
Answer: The bottom line is that we need help.
Show the answer
Answer: The bottom line is that we need help.
It includes is before that and a complete statement afterward.
Show whose financial result you mean
For financial results, useful combinations include improve the bottom line, hurt the bottom line, and affect the bottom line. Improve describes a better result, hurt describes a worse result, and affect does not specify the direction. To name the business, use the shop's bottom line or its bottom line. The possessive form shows whose result you mean; avoid the shop bottom line in this pattern.
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Repair bills affected the shop's bottom line.
Why it works: Shop's identifies the business; affected leaves the direction unstated.
Your turn
Which verb explicitly says the financial result got worse?
Answer: Hurt
Show the answer
Answer: Hurt
Hurt states a negative effect; affected alone does not state the direction.
Make a firm conclusion without dismissing concerns
The bottom line can suggest that the discussion has reached its conclusion. That is useful when a group needs a decision, but it can sound abrupt if someone is still explaining a problem. Briefly recognize the concern before stating the deciding fact. If you only want to add another detail, choose a different opening, such as another thing to consider. Save the bottom line for the essential point.
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I know the smaller room feels crowded, but the bottom line is that it is the only one available.
Why it works: The speaker recognizes a drawback before giving the deciding fact.
Your turn
When is the bottom line most suitable?
Answer: When stating the fact that determines a decision
Show the answer
Answer: When stating the fact that determines a decision
The phrase directs attention to the essential conclusion.
Listen beyond the word line
When listening, recognize bottom line as a pair, then follow the words around it. Is that often introduces the conclusion you need to catch. Hurt our or improved the before bottom line often signals financial meaning. Short words such as the, is, and that may be less prominent than the main message. During dictation, recover those words too; recognizing the idiom does not complete the sentence.
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The bottom line is that we must leave before lunch.
Why it works: Listen for is that, then catch the action and its time limit.
Your turn
Which words complete the pattern: The bottom line ___ we must leave?
Answer: is that
Show the answer
Answer: is that
Is that connects the expression to the complete statement we must leave.
Use the phrase once, then give the next step
In an everyday email, use the bottom line to make your conclusion easy to find after a short explanation. Follow it with a useful next step, such as a request or a proposed time. Repeating the phrase can make every point sound equally final. For recall practice, cover an example and rebuild it from three ideas: the situation, the deciding fact, and the action that follows.
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The bottom line is that we need a larger table, so please reserve one for eight people.
Why it works: The request follows directly from the essential conclusion.
Your turn
What is the most useful addition after an email's essential conclusion?
Answer: A clear next step connected to the conclusion
Show the answer
Answer: A clear next step connected to the conclusion
A connected next step helps the reader act on the conclusion.
Other meanings of "the bottom line"
This lesson practises one meaning. You may also hear these.
A business's final profit or loss after costs
Rising fuel prices damaged the company's bottom line.
Common mistakes with "the bottom line"
What learners often say, what to say instead, and why.
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Not this:
The bottom line that we need a taxi.Say: The bottom line is that we need a taxi.
This pattern needs 'is' before 'that' and a complete statement afterwards.
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Not this:
The bottom line that we need help.Say: The bottom line is that we need help.
Do not omit 'is' in the pattern 'the bottom line is that'.
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Not this:
The bottom lines is that we need a taxi.Say: The bottom line is that we need a taxi.
'Bottom line' is normally a fixed singular expression in this pattern.
-
Not this:
The shop bottom line improved.Say: The shop's bottom line improved.
Use the possessive form to show which business's financial result you mean.
Use it naturally
How people really use “the bottom line”
Neutral Fine almost anywhere, at work or with friends.
Words it often goes with
- the bottom line is thatWe have several options, but the bottom line is that we need more time.
- improve our bottom lineLower shipping costs could improve our bottom line.
- hurt our bottom lineThe rise in fuel prices has hurt our bottom line.
- affect the bottom lineEven small increases in costs can affect the bottom line.
What people also say
- “The bottom line is that we need a decision today.” instead of “The essential conclusion of this discussion is that we require a decision today.” This sounds more direct and natural in conversation.
Questions about "The bottom line"
Does the bottom line always refer to money?
No. It often introduces the essential fact or conclusion in an everyday discussion. The financial meaning refers to a business's final profit or loss. Even a sentence about prices can use the everyday meaning if it states the main reason for a decision.
The bottom line is that this coat costs more than I can spend.
Lower electricity bills improved the factory's bottom line.
Can I leave out that after the bottom line is?
Yes, especially in conversation, if a complete statement follows. Keeping that is a useful choice while learning because it makes the structure clear. Do not remove is when using this sentence pattern.
The bottom line is we need another driver.
The bottom line is that we need another driver.
Does saying the bottom line sound rude?
It is not inherently rude, but it sounds firm and conclusive. It can seem dismissive if you use it before someone has finished explaining a concern. Recognize the concern first when the situation calls for a careful response.
I understand that the journey is long, but the bottom line is that we must arrive before noon.
Is a company's bottom line the same as its sales?
No. Sales describe the money coming in from selling goods or services. The financial bottom line concerns the final profit or loss after costs are included. Sales can rise while the bottom line gets worse if costs rise enough.
Sales increased, but expensive repairs hurt the company's bottom line.
Before you go
Remember this
Ask whether the speaker is identifying the essential point or discussing a financial result. To introduce your own conclusion, use the bottom line is that followed by a complete statement.
Stage 2 of 5
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0:00
- Wasted food is hurting the restaurant's bottom line.
- I understand the delay, but the bottom line is that we need the keys today.
Listening 2 of 4
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0:00
- Wasted food is hurting the restaurant's bottom line.
- I understand the delay, but the bottom line is that we need the keys today.
Try a longer clip. Listen once, then replay the part you missed.
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0:00
- Wasted food is hurting the restaurant's bottom line.
- I understand the delay, but the bottom line is that we need the keys today.
This clip is longer. Follow the instruction above the answer field.
Listening 4 of 4
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0:00
- Wasted food is hurting the restaurant's bottom line.
- I understand the delay, but the bottom line is that we need the keys today.
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Say it your way
Speak for 30 to 60 seconds from memory as the leader of a team building a phone app. Your team wants to add more features before launch, but the app still crashes. Explain your decision, state the deciding fact, and give your team a next step.
Use: the bottom line is that
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Hear how someone else might say it
I know everyone is excited about adding a chat feature, and I can see why users would like it. However, the bottom line is that our app needs to work before we ask people to download it. Right now, it crashes when someone tries to save a photo. That would make a terrible first impression. I think we should spend this week fixing that problem and testing the main features. Once those work well, we can set a launch date and plan the next update.
Try once more and answer this: Which feature can wait until after the launch?
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