indie

American  

[in-dee] / ˈɪn di /

noun

• indies
  plural

1. an independently or privately owned business, especially a film or music company that is not affiliated with a larger and more commercial company.

   to work for an indie.

2. a movie or other work produced by such a company.

3. a genre of music, especially pop or rock, that is independently produced.

4. a person who works for an independently owned business or is self-employed.

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adjective

1. noting or relating to an indie.

   an indie film producer;

   an indie video game.

2. noting or relating to independently produced music.

   indie rock;

   an indie pop group.

indie British  

/ ˈɪndɪ /

noun

1. informal

   1. an independent film or record company

   2. ( as modifier )

      an indie producer

      the indie charts

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• indies
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of indie

First recorded in 1940–45; ind(ependent) + -ie

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Explanation

An indie band makes music on their own or on a very small record company, not with a large recording label. Your favorite indie group probably makes most of its money from touring, rather than by selling its music online. Pop musicians who record songs independently of major labels are indie, and indie filmmakers work with small budgets and unknown actors, rather than large, well-funded film companies. The adjective is also sometimes used simply to mean "simple," "not commercial," or "outside of the mainstream." Indie, a shortened form of independent, has been around since about 1920, originally referring to movies, and by 1945 it was also used for music labels.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

indie indies

One of Aspen’s most popular videos has 1 million views—not surprising, when you consider it’s about an indie yarn-dyer who faked her own death.

From Slate ● Oct. 11, 2026

A researcher falls down a rabbit hole of academia in “Chronovisor,” a singular indie that sneaks up on you.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026

But alongside TLC, Aaliyah and Destiny's Child, she developed a passion for rock, indie and punk.

From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026

It also adapted Justin Simien’s indie flick “Dear White People” into an in-your-face comedy revolving around the Black experience at an Ivy League college.

From Salon ● Sep. 24, 2026

“A black lady indie rocker, and only a little angsty.”

From "Sparrow" by Sarah Moon

But over the last two decades, the already tiny space for indie film has grown even smaller, being phased out by streamers — the place indies go to die — and YouTube.

From Salon ● Sep. 11, 2026

Independent restaurants have accused global corporations of being "sneaky" and "a killer" to family businesses by masquerading as indies on delivery apps.

From BBC ● Jan. 17, 2026

Bismarck residents can see all kinds of films here: blockbusters, indies, repertory classics and even the occasional work of local cinema.

From Salon ● Dec. 18, 2025

Of the 28 projects, 18 are indie films with budgets of $10 million or less, five are indies with budgets of more than $10 million and five are non-independent feature films.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 17, 2025

It seemed to Tyrion that the lad had grown three indies since being knighted.

From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin

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