nonprofit
Americanadjective
noun
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of nonprofit
Compare meaning
How does nonprofit compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
A business or organization is nonprofit if its main purpose isn't making money for its owners. Nonprofit companies usually raise money for charities. You can use the word nonprofit as an adjective or a noun — a nonprofit is an organization that benefits some public good, rather than raising revenue for stockholders or owners. There are educational nonprofits, religious nonprofits, public health nonprofits, and many others. The word's been around since the 1920s, combining non, or "not," with profit, from the Latin root profectus, "advance, increase, success, or progress."
Vocabulary lists containing nonprofit
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non-
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Prefixes: non-
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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.
Ostrand, who previously ran a wildlife rehabilitation nonprofit called Our Wild Neighbors, added that vultures are important for the environment.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 16, 2026
The California Partners Project is a nonprofit that promotes gender equity.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 16, 2026
An Alzheimer's caregiver support nonprofit has trained staff on how best to accommodate audiences and develop accessible shows by world-class artists.
From Barron's • Jun. 15, 2026
Out of these efforts came the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, a nonprofit academic journal that tries to raise attention to nuclear risks, climate change, biological threats and disruptive technologies.
From Salon • Jun. 15, 2026
In the late 1980s, another group of outsiders took note of Clarkston: the nonprofit agencies that resettle the tens of thousands of refugees accepted into the United States each year.
From "Outcasts United: An American Town, a Refugee Team, and One Woman's Quest to Make a Difference" by Warren St. John
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.
