industry
Americannoun
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industries
plural
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the aggregate of manufacturing or technically productive enterprises in a particular field, often named after its principal product.
the automobile industry;
the steel industry.
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any general business activity; commercial enterprise.
the Italian tourist industry.
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trade or manufacture in general.
the rise of industry in Africa.
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the ownership and management of companies, factories, etc..
friction between labor and industry.
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systematic work or labor.
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energetic, devoted activity at any work or task; diligence.
Her teacher praised her industry.
- Synonyms:
- industriousness, assiduity, effort, application
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the aggregate of work, scholarship, and ancillary activity in a particular field, often named after its principal subject.
the Mozart industry.
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Archaeology. an assemblage of artifacts regarded as unmistakably the work of a single prehistoric group.
noun
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organized economic activity concerned with manufacture, extraction and processing of raw materials, or construction
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a branch of commercial enterprise concerned with the output of a specified product or service
the steel industry
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industrial ownership and management interests collectively, as contrasted with labour interests
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manufacturing enterprise collectively, as opposed to agriculture
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diligence; assiduity
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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mini-industrynoun
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preindustrynoun
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subindustrynoun
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superindustrynoun
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interindustryadjective
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nonindustryadjective
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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"
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The Industrial Revolution - Introductory
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Africa - Introductory
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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:
IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva similarly noted the AI boom's boost to global growth, but she told AFP that any slowdown in the industry "would be felt across the world".
From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026
Excitement about AI grows even as the industry puts up guardrails to contain it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
We talked with analysts and industry insiders to help answer some of our biggest questions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
Sure, that’s in part to maintain a competitive edge in an ever-techified entertainment industry.
From Slate ● Oct. 16, 2026
Daniel and Moses thought they were paying a courtesy call on a cottage industry, but the cottage was a castle.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
Important industries are advanced manufacturing, life sciences, technology, tourism and healthcare.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
Kim said he wants USC to build strong partnerships with Los Angeles industries, including entertainment, biotechnology, sports and “the new space economy.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
Intuit said its latest acquisition could expand its businesses into new industries.
From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026
ITV welcomed the letter and said the deal would help it "compete with global streaming platforms, benefiting viewers, advertisers and the UK creative industries".
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
Louis Swift and other owners of the large industries in dire need of workers gladly joined forces with Hill and Jackson.
From "A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919" by Claire Hartfield
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
