industry
Americannoun
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the aggregate of manufacturing or technically productive enterprises in a particular field, often named after its principal product.
the automobile industry;
the steel industry.
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any general business activity; commercial enterprise.
the Italian tourist industry.
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trade or manufacture in general.
the rise of industry in Africa.
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the ownership and management of companies, factories, etc..
friction between labor and industry.
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systematic work or labor.
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energetic, devoted activity at any work or task; diligence.
Her teacher praised her industry.
- Synonyms:
- industriousness, assiduity, effort, application
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the aggregate of work, scholarship, and ancillary activity in a particular field, often named after its principal subject.
the Mozart industry.
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Archaeology. an assemblage of artifacts regarded as unmistakably the work of a single prehistoric group.
noun
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organized economic activity concerned with manufacture, extraction and processing of raw materials, or construction
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a branch of commercial enterprise concerned with the output of a specified product or service
the steel industry
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industrial ownership and management interests collectively, as contrasted with labour interests
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manufacturing enterprise collectively, as opposed to agriculture
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diligence; assiduity
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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mini-industrynoun
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preindustrynoun
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subindustrynoun
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superindustrynoun
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interindustryadjective
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nonindustryadjective
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proindustryadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of industry
First recorded in 1475–85; earlier industrie, from Latin industria, noun use of feminine of industrius “diligent, assiduous”; see industrious
Explanation
An industry is a group of manufacturers or businesses that produce a particular kind of goods or services. Workers in the textile industry design, fabricate, and sell cloth. The tourist industry includes all the commercial aspects of tourism. You can use industry to refer to a group of similar businesses: The automobile industry makes cars and car parts. The food service industry prepares food and delivers it to hotels, schools, and other big facilities. Industry comes from the Latin industria, which means "diligence, hard work," and the word is still used with that meaning. If you build a house in three weeks, when the same job takes everyone else three months, you're showing impressive industry.
Vocabulary lists containing industry
Can I Work It? Words for "Job"
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The Industrial Revolution - Introductory
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Africa - Introductory
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The owner of Louis Vuitton and Dior, regarded as a bellwether for the luxury industry, booked sales of 19.52 billion euros, equivalent to $22.20 billion, for the quarter through June.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
"The packaging industry has existing machines which are all designed for glue materials. Some kind of redesign is probably necessary, and this is our biggest challenge," says Hermann Ultraschall's Baumann.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
“The workers in this industry should not have to rely on promises and aspirational statements,” he added.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
It came as respite for Gulf shipping and the oil industry, with international benchmark Brent dropping six percent to around $86 a barrel.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
By the end of the month, half the steel industry, including almost all the mills in Chicago, Illinois; Cleveland, Ohio; Johnstown, Pennsylvania; Wheeling, West Virginia; Lackawanna, New York; and Youngstown, Ohio, had shut down.
From "1919 The Year That Changed America" by Martin W. Sandler
The government said the courses available from Year 10 would be linked to local jobs and industries.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
These industries accounted for 98% of the state’s private job growth during that period.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
Among them were a former rural mayor, an ex-police commander, a bar owner, a rancher, a fireman and various entrepreneurs associated with mining and construction, industries heavily subject to extortion demands.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026
They support industries such as agriculture, electric utilities and fuel and convenience stores.
From Salon ● Jul. 26, 2026
“During World War II, when many American men had either gone to war or were working in industries that produced equipment for the war, there was a shortage of farm labor,” Mom said.
From "The First Rule of Punk" by Celia C. Pérez
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
