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

What’s Next: 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. 15, 2026

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, which was facing closure, will be sold to the nonprofit Venetoulis Institute for Local Journalism.

From The Wall Street Journal • 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

Hernandez joined the ensemble founded by her father, Jose, in 1994 through his nonprofit organization the Mariachi Heritage Society.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026

The Pew report, done in cooperation with several other nonprofit groups, found that nearly 90 percent of teachers said the Internet is creating “an easily distracted generation with short attention spans.”

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel

Related Words

• unsuccessful
• worthless