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

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

Inflected Forms

noun

• 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

Worried about the impact on the all-important tourist industry, the government ordered the scene of the attack to be cleaned up as quickly as possible.

From BBC • Jun. 11, 2026

Asked whether she thought robots would revolutionise her industry, cleaner Lin did not seem too concerned.

From Barron's • Jun. 11, 2026

Taking historical precedents for the build-out of new technologies into account, like the development of railroads or the automobile industry, the Goldman team thinks a more realistic figure for next year is $1.1 trillion.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 11, 2026

The new outlook came as Lovesac continued to navigate industry headwinds during its fiscal first quarter, Chief Executive Shawn David Nelson said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 11, 2026

Grave-robbing became an industry, albeit a small one requiring an exceptional degree of sang-froid.

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

Related Words

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