Say it like this
- We're hoping to break even by Q3.
- The new feature should help us break even faster.
- We haven't broken even yet, but we're getting close.
- At this rate, we'll break even in about six months.
- Once we break even, we can think about expansion.
Use it at work
Talking about money
- We'll break even by the end of next year.
- At this price, we need 400 customers to break even.
Judging a project
- The new tool breaks even after six months of saved time.
- When is the break-even point for this investment?
In a board meeting
- We're close to break-even on operating costs.
- Our plan is to reach break-even before we raise again.
Don't say this
Break even does not take a direct object. You cannot 'break even something.'
Practice
Try it
4 quick exercises
1. Which sentence sounds most natural in a business context?
2. Find the error: 'The startup is hoping to break even a profit by next year.'
3. At the current growth rate, we should _____ by Q4.
4. The company's costs equal its revenue right now. (Use 'break even')
Say it out loud
Phrase 1 of 5
"We're hoping to break even by Q3."
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More about break even
Real examples(7)
- Standup
"The PM mentioned we need 500 more users to break even on the marketing costs."
- Slack message
"Quick update: Finance says we should break even on the new tool by next quarter."
- GitHub PR
"This optimization should reduce server costs enough to help us break even sooner."
- Jira ticket
"Goal: Implement pricing tier to help break even on infrastructure costs."
- Retrospective
"We didn't break even this sprint, but we learned a lot about user acquisition costs."
- Sprint planning
"Let's prioritize features that will help us break even before the end of the year."
- Pair programming
"If we fix this bug, fewer users will cancel—that could help us break even faster."
More mistakes(2)
- ✕The project is break even now.✓The project is at break-even now.
When used as an adjective before or after a noun, use 'break-even' with a hyphen or say 'at break-even.'
- ✕We will break even a profit soon.✓We will break even soon, and then start making a profit.
Break even means zero profit. You cannot break even a profit—these are separate states.
Other forms(5)
- break even verb (base)
"We need to break even by December."
- broke even verb (past)
"The company broke even in its second year."
- have/has broken even verb (present perfect)
"We haven't broken even yet."
- break-even adjective (hyphenated)
"We reached the break-even point last month."
- break-even point noun phrase
"Our break-even point is 10,000 subscribers."
Often used with(5)
- break-even point · The exact moment when costs equal revenue
- break-even analysis · A calculation to find when you will break even
- reach break-even · Arrive at the point of no profit/no loss
- hit break-even · Informal way to say 'reach break-even'
- time to break-even · How long until costs are covered
Similar words(4)
- cover costs · More general; means paying for expenses but doesn't emphasize zero profit
- recoup investment · Focuses on getting back the money you spent
- reach profitability threshold · More formal; often used in financial reports
- get in the black · Informal; sometimes means break-even, sometimes means profitable
Opposites(4)
- make a profit
- run at a loss
- operate in the red
- lose money
Questions(6)
- What does 'break even' mean in a business meeting?
- Break even means the company or project earns exactly what it spends. There is no profit and no loss. It's often a milestone—before break-even, you're losing money.
- Is 'break even' one word or two words?
- As a verb, it's two words: 'We will break even.' As an adjective before a noun, use a hyphen: 'the break-even point.'
- What is a break-even point?
- The break-even point is the exact moment when total revenue equals total costs. After this point, additional revenue becomes profit.
- Can I say 'we broke even a profit'?
- No. Break even means zero profit. You cannot 'break even a profit.' Say 'we broke even' or 'we made a profit'—these are different things.
- When do tech teams talk about breaking even?
- Tech teams discuss break-even when planning budgets, launching products, or talking to investors. It helps show when a feature or product will stop losing money.
- What's the difference between 'break even' and 'make a profit'?
- Break even = costs equal revenue (zero profit). Make a profit = revenue is higher than costs. Break even comes first, then profit.
