industry

[in-duh-stree]

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.

industry

/ 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

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of industry¹

First recorded in 1475–85; earlier industrie, from Latin industria, noun use of feminine of industrius “diligent, assiduous”; industrious

Word History and Origins

Origin of industry¹

C15: from Latin industria diligence, from industrius active, of uncertain origin

Example Sentences

Investors have also worried about investment deals between major players, including Nvidia, and more formidable competition from Alphabet in the semiconductor industry.

Read more on MarketWatch

“Of the six largest manufacturing industries, three—computer and electronic products, food, beverage and tobacco products, and machinery—expanded in November,” Spence added.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

What would you say to your kids if they wanted to be in the industry?

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The white metal is also much cheaper than gold, attracting a broad range of investors seeking more affordable safe-haven assets, and is widely used in industry—from the manufacture of solar panels to artificial-intelligence semiconductors.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Pharmaceutical industry sources have told the BBC that a deal to lower planned tariffs on medicine imports into the US could be announced as soon as today.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

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