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

All of the job gains recorded in May were among full-time workers and were led by the private sector.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026

In 2023, the U.S. parent companies of U.S.-based multinational companies paid their 29.9 million workers in America an average total compensation of $97,078—about 20% above the average in the rest of the private sector.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 31, 2026

During the McCarthy era, overreaching laws, surveillance, and public and private sector reprisals ostensibly targeted alleged communists.

From Salon • May 28, 2026

Ruslan says there are other advantages to getting the private sector involved – "we can scale much faster than the public sector".

From BBC • May 21, 2026

Thinking he could fare better in the private sector, he eventually quit the force to go into business with friends.

From "First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers" by Loung Ung