industry
Americannoun
-
industries
plural
-
the aggregate of manufacturing or technically productive enterprises in a particular field, often named after its principal product.
the automobile industry;
the steel industry.
-
any general business activity; commercial enterprise.
the Italian tourist industry.
-
trade or manufacture in general.
the rise of industry in Africa.
-
the ownership and management of companies, factories, etc..
friction between labor and industry.
-
systematic work or labor.
-
energetic, devoted activity at any work or task; diligence.
Her teacher praised her industry.
- Synonyms:
- industriousness, assiduity, effort, application
-
the aggregate of work, scholarship, and ancillary activity in a particular field, often named after its principal subject.
the Mozart industry.
-
Archaeology. an assemblage of artifacts regarded as unmistakably the work of a single prehistoric group.
noun
-
organized economic activity concerned with manufacture, extraction and processing of raw materials, or construction
-
a branch of commercial enterprise concerned with the output of a specified product or service
the steel industry
-
-
industrial ownership and management interests collectively, as contrasted with labour interests
-
manufacturing enterprise collectively, as opposed to agriculture
-
-
diligence; assiduity
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
mini-industrynoun
-
preindustrynoun
-
subindustrynoun
-
superindustrynoun
-
interindustryadjective
-
nonindustryadjective
-
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"
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The Industrial Revolution - Introductory
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Africa - Introductory
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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 latest reported move comes as Musk’s companies seek to accelerate in the race against technology competitors to dominate in the AI industry.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 7, 2026
But authorities and industry insiders are now questioning whether the airline’s fast growth contributed to last week’s near catastrophe.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
An industry outlook shows Australia's annual thermal coal exports rose by 8 million tonnes to 213 million tonnes in 2025-2026.
From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026
Feng pointed out that as the AI boom accelerated, his firm was able to actively hire new AI talent during performance dips for the industry, leading to “prolific model development” currently contributing to outperformance.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 7, 2026
The automotive industry loves people like my father, because it means they can make lots of money from repairs that the car may or may not need.
From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman
"We need to see consistent law enforcement, and we need to see the threat of punitive measures by all industries, whether it's the water industry or oil refineries," Wallace said.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
“The AI build-out is growing fast enough to help shield related companies and industries from rising yields,” Swissquote’s Ipek Ozkardeskaya wrote in a note.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
Curbing that reliance remains difficult because the bloc relies heavily on China for critical raw materials—including those needed for rebuilding its defense industries.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
Given the current economic backdrop, the office recommends quality companies and industries benefitting from the current artificial-intelligence cycle.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026
The city’s newspapers loved to crow about the startling increase in the number of workers employed by Chicago’s industries, especially meat-packing.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
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.
