private sector

noun

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

private sector

noun

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

private sector

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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of private sector¹

First recorded in 1950–55

Example Sentences

She said that while she worked in public service throughout her career, her interactions with leaders in the private sector led her to believe that they would be “among the guardians of our democracy.”

From Los Angeles Times

"In the private sector, lots of private landlords do put carpets down but social housing landlords and local authorities in England are not required to put floor coverings down so they usually don't."

From BBC

A New Towns Unit will be tasked with bringing in millions of pounds of public and private sector funding to invest in GP surgeries, schools, green spaces, libraries and transport for the new developments.

From BBC

He scaled the echelons of the justice department, but left for the private sector before President Barack Obama appointed him to run the FBI in 2013.

From BBC

And he told BBC Scotland's The Sunday Show the government needs to build at scale, buy more homes and reduce the number of empty properties in the public and private sector.

From BBC