industry

American  

[in-duh-stree] / ˈɪn də stri /

noun

industries plural

1. the aggregate of manufacturing or technically productive enterprises in a particular field, often named after its principal product.

   the automobile industry;

   the steel industry.

2. any general business activity; commercial enterprise.

   the Italian tourist industry.

3. trade or manufacture in general.

   the rise of industry in Africa.

4. the ownership and management of companies, factories, etc..

   friction between labor and industry.

5. systematic work or labor.

6. energetic, devoted activity at any work or task; diligence.

   Her teacher praised her industry.

   Synonyms:

   industriousness, assiduity, effort, application

7. the aggregate of work, scholarship, and ancillary activity in a particular field, often named after its principal subject.

   the Mozart industry.

8. Archaeology. an assemblage of artifacts regarded as unmistakably the work of a single prehistoric group.

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industry British  

/ ˈɪndəstrɪ /

noun

1. organized economic activity concerned with manufacture, extraction and processing of raw materials, or construction

2. a branch of commercial enterprise concerned with the output of a specified product or service

   the steel industry

3. 1. industrial ownership and management interests collectively, as contrasted with labour interests

   2. manufacturing enterprise collectively, as opposed to agriculture

4. diligence; assiduity

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• mini-industry
  noun
• preindustry
  noun
• subindustry
  noun
• superindustry
  noun
• interindustry
  adjective
• nonindustry
  adjective
• proindustry
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• industries
  plural

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.

Example Sentences

And as the AI industry moves from its fast-growing innovation phase to one of established companies, it is likely to require less specialized workers who are less able to command the same pay.

From BBC • Jul. 8, 2026

A first step would be to legalize house churches alongside state-run churches in the same way China has legalized private industry alongside state-owned enterprises.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 8, 2026

Reusable-rocket startup Stoke Space’s $510 million Series D fundraise was the largest in the space industry in 2025, according to Payload Space.

From MarketWatch • Jul. 8, 2026

In the 15 years he has led SEIU-UHW, Regan has become known for using expensive ballot measures — or the threat of them — to bring lawmakers and industry opponents to the negotiating table.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 8, 2026

They called Eisman from Orlando and said, However corrupt you think this industry is, it’s worse.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

Related Words

• business
• commerce
• corporation
• management
• production
• trade