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

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

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

Pildes, 50 years old, maintains the website and organizes the event through a nonprofit he controls, prosecutors said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026

If confirmed, Warsh has pledged to resign from more than a dozen corporate and nonprofit positions and sell dozens of holdings within 90 days.

From Barron's • Apr. 14, 2026

It’s advocating for things that are normative in the scientific community,” said Jules Barbati-Dajches, an analyst at the Union of Concerned Scientists, a nonprofit advocacy group.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2026

Block Communications, a regional media company that owns the newspaper, agreed to sell the Post-Gazette’s assets to the nonprofit Venetoulis Institute for Local Journalism, which also owns the Baltimore Banner.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026

He had accepted an offer from Liberty in North Korea, the nonprofit that sponsored his first American trip.

From "Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West" by Blaine Harden

Related Words

• unsuccessful
• worthless