public sector

American  

noun

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

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public sector British  

noun

1. the part of an economy that consists of state-owned institutions, including nationalized industries and services provided by local authorities Compare private sector

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public sector Cultural  

1. That part of the economy controlled by the government. (Compare private sector.)

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Etymology

Origin of public sector

First recorded in 1950–55

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

public sector

Though the government announced last month that it would shorten the work day for public sector employees to ease the electricity crisis, several parts of Caracas have begun experiencing power cuts.

From Barron's ● Sep. 12, 2026

Cloudera operates in nearly 100 countries, serving clients across financial services, telecommunications, healthcare and life sciences, oil and gas, and the public sector.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026

In a statement on Tuesday, Weber touted Amazon’s “fast, reliable satellite broadband” meant to meet the demands of “enterprise, public sector, and government customers.”

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026

Worth Girvan, by contrast, says her years of experience in the public sector will ensure that she can best navigate City Hall to advocate for the district’s interests.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026

Policy challenges include cutting the public sector deficit to 4% of GDP by 2008, from about 6% in 2007.

From The 2008 CIA World Factbook by United States. Central Intelligence Agency