profiteer
/ˌpɹɒfɪˈtɪə(ɹ)/noun, verb
profiteer is spelled P-R-O-F-I-T-E-E-R: 9 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 10 million words in written English, the 92,628th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a derogatory noun, profiteer means “One who makes an unreasonable profit not justified by cost or risk, a rent-seeker” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of profiteer is profiteers.
How many letters and syllables are in profiteer?
| Letters | 9: P-R-O-F-I-T-E-E-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 10 million words; the 92,628th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is profiteer?
Profiteer appears about once in every 10 million words in written English, the 92,628th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce profiteer?
- /ˌpɹɒfɪˈtɪə(ɹ)/
Profiteer has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-profiteer.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of profiteer
- profiteers plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- profiteering participle, present
- profiteered participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does profiteer mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
derogatoryOne who makes an unreasonable profit not justified by cost or risk, a rent-seeker.
verb
- 1
To make an unreasonable profit not justified by cost or risk.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Profiteer in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense one who makes an unreasonable profit not justified by their corresponding assump:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | profiteur, profiteuse |
| German | Profitmacher, Profiteur |
| Portuguese | usureiro |
| Spanish | especulador, especuladora, lucrante inescrupuloso |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does profiteer come from?
From profit + -eer.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).