private sector

American  

noun

1. the area of the nation's economy under private rather than governmental control.

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private sector British  

noun

1. the part of a country's economy that consists of privately owned enterprises Compare public sector

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private sector Cultural  

1. That part of an economy in which goods and services are produced by individuals and companies as opposed to the government, which controls the public sector.

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Etymology

Origin of private sector

First recorded in 1950–55

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

private sector

But in recent years, the bank also has marshaled capital investments from the private sector at an unprecedented clip, according to new data it published Thursday.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

Agency for International Development, which aimed to grow the private sector after the Soviet Union’s breakup.

From Salon ● Sep. 16, 2026

But in the US, most private sector employees work under "at-will" contracts, which means they can be can be fired without reason.

From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026

The government argues that competitive salaries are necessary to deter corruption and attract top talent from the private sector.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026

The Dow Jones Industrial Average had fallen 449 points, to its lowest level in four years, and most of the market-moving news was coming not from the private sector but from government officials.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis