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

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

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

Still, experts have warned that it will take months for the oil and gas industry to return to pre-war levels, as production facilities must be brought back up to speed.

From MarketWatch • May 24, 2026

While the tourism and hospitality industry are welcoming the well-timed hot and sunny weather, the longevity of the heatwave is likely to have impacts on the health of some.

From BBC • May 24, 2026

The only thing growing faster than the artificial-intelligence industry may be Americans’ negative feelings about it.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 24, 2026

Among them were regulators, lawmakers, investors and industry representatives from the U.S. and abroad who said they remain optimistic about offshore wind’s prospects and vowed to keep to their plans.

From Los Angeles Times • May 24, 2026

He attributed this circumstance to Burnham: “too high an estimate cannot be placed on the industry, skill and tact with which this result was secured by the master of us all.”

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

Related Words

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