actual loss

noun [C]

Definition

› FINANCE, ACCOUNTING the money that is lost when something is sold, because it has gone down in value, or when costs and the effects of inflation are included: I'll hold at the moment, because it's too much of an actual loss if I sell now. → Compare paper loss

› LAW the money that is lost or will be lost as a result of something, which can be calculated and clearly shown: The High Court sought to make the final damages reflect Mr Smith's actual loss.

(Definition of actual loss noun from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)