industry

American  

[in-duh-stree] / ˈɪn də stri /

noun

plural

industries

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”; industrious

Example Sentences

India's largest airline IndiGo has named aviation industry veteran William Walsh as its new chief executive, weeks after the resignation of its former CEO.

From BBC

While that adds to the affordability challenges facing the industry, experts and automakers say it is too soon to determine the war's overall impact on sales.

From Barron's

But Goodell pointed out that the rule "is not a hiring mandate," and that it has been adopted in industries "far beyond football, far beyond the United States" to hire "bring in better talent."

From Barron's

But the region’s abundance of cheap energy has also powered a determined pivot by Gulf states into a range of non-oil industries and services that are now also drawing Iran’s fire.

From The Wall Street Journal

Shipments of naphtha—a key feedstock for the petrochemical industry—declined sharply, highlighting the impact of energy and shipping disruptions in the Middle East.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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