nonprofit

American  

[non-prof-it] / nɒnˈprɒf ɪt /

adjective

1. not established for the purpose of making a profit; not entered into for money.

   a nonprofit institution.

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noun

• nonprofits
  plural

1. a nonprofit organization, institution, corporation, or other entity.

nonprofit British  

/ nɒnˈprɒfɪt /

adjective

1. another word for non-profit-making

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noun

1. an organization that is not intended to make a profit

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• nonprofits
  plural

Etymology

Origin of nonprofit

First recorded in 1900–05; non- + profit

Compare meaning

How does nonprofit compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• nonprofit vs. not-for-profit
• for-profit vs. nonprofit

Explanation

A business or organization is nonprofit if its main purpose isn't making money for its owners. Nonprofit companies usually raise money for charities. You can use the word nonprofit as an adjective or a noun — a nonprofit is an organization that benefits some public good, rather than raising revenue for stockholders or owners. There are educational nonprofits, religious nonprofits, public health nonprofits, and many others. The word's been around since the 1920s, combining non, or "not," with profit, from the Latin root profectus, "advance, increase, success, or progress."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

nonprofit nonprofits

A graduate of Harvard with a master’s degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, she started a homelessness outreach nonprofit after moving to Los Angeles.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 20, 2026

“We’re expecting another record-breaking year where more people are going to need help,” said Perkin Simpson, chief executive of Generation Power CT, a Connecticut nonprofit that provides financial aid for heating oil.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

Chatfield asked the Los Angeles Times in 1997 in response to criticism from community members and some local officials who pegged his nonprofit as inconveniencing residents by helping homeless people.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026

Balance-transfer cards may be the right fit for someone paying off up to $6,000 in card debt, said Ted Rossman, principal consumer finance analyst at Money Management International, a nonprofit credit-counseling organization.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 16, 2026

Since the biggest obstacle in their way is money, Don Parris and I created a nonprofit organization called the Tolerance Education Foundation.

From "The Freedom Writers Diary" by The Freedom Writers

According to the complaint, defendants obtained a California license to operate a home child-care facility and registered with local nonprofits to provide federally subsidized day care.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026

Right now, that’s out of reach for Mortensen and her partner, who both work at nonprofits.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 16, 2026

Burchett added that the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority was “ripe for corruption and financial mismanagement,” and raised concerns about contracts that have been doled out to nonprofits in Los Angeles and the surrounding areas.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026

Recent wins by nonprofits against the administration include an appeals court ruling in June that the Environmental Protection Agency must uphold strengthened air pollution standards for fine particular matter or soot.

From Barron's ● Sep. 4, 2026

We both served on the boards of several nonprofits, and as much as he’d been stung by his defeat in the congressional primary, Barack still had ideas about trying for a higher office.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

Related Words

• unsuccessful
• worthless