industry

An industry is a group of manufacturers or businesses that produce a particular kind of goods or services. Workers in the textile industry design, fabricate, and sell cloth. The tourist industry includes all the commercial aspects of tourism.

You can use industry to refer to a group of similar businesses: The automobile industry makes cars and car parts. The food service industry prepares food and delivers it to hotels, schools, and other big facilities. Industry comes from the Latin industria, which means "diligence, hard work," and the word is still used with that meaning. If you build a house in three weeks, when the same job takes everyone else three months, you're showing impressive industry.

Definitions of industry
  1. noun
    the organized action of making of goods and services for sale
    “American industry is making increased use of computers to control production”
    synonyms: manufacture
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    cottage industry
    small-scale industry that can be carried on at home by family members using their own equipment
    production
    (economics) manufacturing or mining or growing something (usually in large quantities) for sale
    industrial enterprise, industrialisation, industrialization
    the development of industry on an extensive scale
    mass production
    the production of large quantities of a standardized article (often using assembly line techniques)
    overproduction, overrun
    too much production or more than expected
    underproduction
    inadequate production or less than expected
    output, yield
    production of a certain amount
    capacity
    the maximum production possible
    breeding
    the production of animals or plants by inbreeding or hybridization
    brewing
    the production of malt beverages (as beer or ale) from malt and hops by grinding and boiling them and fermenting the result with yeast
    cultivation
    (agriculture) production of food by preparing the land to grow crops (especially on a large scale)
    cultivation
    the act of raising or growing plants (especially on a large scale)
    generation
    the production of heat or electricity
    excavation, mining
    the act of extracting ores or coal etc from the earth
    quarrying
    the extraction of building stone or slate from an open surface quarry
    boring, drilling, oil production
    the act of drilling a hole in the earth in the hope of producing petroleum
    sericulture
    the production of raw silk by raising silkworms
    type of:
    business, business enterprise, commercial enterprise
    the activity of providing goods and services involving financial and commercial and industrial aspects
  2. noun
    the people or companies engaged in a particular kind of commercial enterprise
    “each industry has its own trade publications”
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    aluminum business, aluminum industry
    manufacturers of aluminum considered as a group
    apparel industry, fashion business, fashion industry, garment industry, rag trade
    makers and sellers of fashionable clothing
    banking industry, banking system
    banks collectively
    automobile industry
    the manufacturers of automobiles considered collectively
    aviation
    the operation of aircraft to provide transportation
    chemical industry
    the manufacturers of chemicals considered collectively
    coal industry
    the producers of coal considered collectively
    computer industry
    the manufacturers of computers considered collectively
    construction industry, housing industry
    an industry that builds housing
    electronics industry
    the manufacturers of electronic products considered collectively
    entertainment industry, show biz, show business
    those involved in providing entertainment: radio and television and films and theater
    film industry, movie industry
    the entertainment industries involved in producing and distributing movies
    growth industry
    an industry that is growing rapidly
    lighting industry
    an industry devoted to manufacturing and selling and installing lighting
    arms industry, munitions industry
    an industry that manufacturers weapons of war
    oil business, oil industry, refining industry
    an industry that produces and delivers oil and oil products
    plastics industry
    an industry that manufactures plastic articles
    market, securities industry
    the securities markets in the aggregate
    service industry
    an industry that provides services rather than tangible objects
    shipbuilding industry
    an industry that builds ships
    shoe industry
    an industry that manufactures and sells shoes
    sign industry
    an industry that produces signs
    steel industry
    the industry that makes steel and steel products
    sunrise industry
    a new industry that is expanding rapidly (especially telecommunications or electronics)
    tobacco industry
    an industry that manufactures and sells products containing tobacco
    toy business, toy industry
    an industry that manufactures and sells toys for children
    trucking industry
    an industry that provides transportation for commercial products
    Bollywood
    the film industry of India
    filmdom, screen, screenland
    the personnel of the film industry
    Hollywood
    the film industry of the United States
    bear market
    a market characterized by falling prices for securities
    bull market
    a market characterized by rising prices for securities
    the City
    used to allude to the securities industry of Great Britain
    Wall Street, the Street
    used to allude to the securities industry of the United States
    money market
    a market for short-term debt instruments
    management consulting
    a service industry that provides advice to those in charge of running a business
    FCS, Farm Credit System
    a cooperative nationwide system of banks and associations providing credit to farmers and related businesses; originally capitalized by the federal government but now owned by its members and borrowers
    hawala
    an underground banking system based on trust whereby money can be made available internationally without actually moving it or leaving a record of the transaction
    type of:
    commercial enterprise
    an enterprise connected with commerce
  3. noun
    persevering determination to perform a task
    “frugality and industry are still regarded as virtues”
    synonyms: diligence, industriousness
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    assiduity, assiduousness, concentration
    great and constant diligence and attention
    sedulity, sedulousness
    the quality of being constantly diligent and attentive
    studiousness
    diligent study
    engrossment, intentness
    the quality of being intent and concentrated
    singleness
    the quality of concentrating on one central objective
    bookishness
    exaggerated studiousness
    type of:
    determination, purpose
    the quality of being determined to do or achieve something; firmness of purpose
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