Break even means your income covers your costs, but there's no profit. We need to sell eighty tickets to break even means eighty tickets just pay for everything. The point where that happens is the break-even point. People say it about businesses, concerts, bets and even a garage sale.
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break even; break even on a project; reach the break-even point
- The community café broke even after paying rent and staff costs.
- We need to sell eighty tickets to break even on the concert.
- The first event made a loss, but the second one just broke even.
What changed
First versionThe workshop has finally broke even.
RevisionThe workshop has finally broken even.
Break is irregular: break, broke, broken. The simple past broke is the form people hear most, so it ends up after has too. But has needs the third form: has broken even.
Make a profit means earn more than you spend, make a loss means spend more than you earn, and break even sits exactly in between. Cover the costs is close, but it doesn't rule out a profit on top. Break even says there isn't one.
Your turn
Choose the participle: The stall has ___ even after covering all its costs.
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broken — After has you need the participle broken. Broke is the simple past without has: The stall broke even last month.
Write how much a small project of yours would need to sell to break even. Use break even.
The pottery workshop will break even if all twelve places are booked.
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