in the black
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
Successful financially.
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Examples
Profits from food distribution rose from £6.8 million to £7.0 million with the US business, Martin - Bowers, gaining from new accounts won during the year.
The group's book printing business had performed well, he said, increasing market share in hardbacks, which had compensated for a fall in demand for mass market paperbacks during the six months.
British National Corpus sentence via the MAGPIE corpus (CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)
Sources & notes
Listed in Wiktionary’s “English idioms” category (retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Figurative class: Metaphor (PIE-English corpus, CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-31).
Common questions
What does “in the black” mean?
Successful financially.
Is “in the black” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.