industry Hear it!

industry Definition

in·dus·try (in′dəs trē)

noun pl. -·tries

  1. Obsolete
    1. skill or cleverness
    2. the application of this
  2. earnest, steady effort; constant diligence in or application to work
  3. systematic work; habitual employment
    1. any particular branch of productive, esp. manufacturing, enterprise the paper industry
    2. any large-scale business activity the tourist industry
    1. manufacturing productive enterprises collectively, esp. as distinguished from agriculture
    2. the owners and managers of industry

Etymology: LME < MFr industrie < L industria < industrius, active, industrious < *indo-struus < OL endo (> L in) + struere, to pile up, arrange: see strew

industry Synonyms

industry

n.

  1. Attention to work

    diligence, activity, assiduity, persistence, application, patience, intentness, perseverance, enterprise, hard work, zeal, energy, dynamism, pains, inventiveness; see also attention 2, care 1, diligence.

    Antonyms laziness*, sloth*, idleness. *

  2. Commercial enterprise

    manufacturing, business, commerce, trade, enterprise, production, mass production, assembly-line production; see also business 1.

  3. Business as a division of society

    big business, management, corporation officers, manufacturers, shareholders, high finance, entrepreneurs, capital, private enterprise, monied interests, stockholders. See syn. study at business.business.

industry Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • nationalize: Like nationalized industry, nationalized nature is an expensive failure.
  • regulate: However, legal pitfalls are proving to be hurdles for jurisdictions attempting to regulate the industry.

Adjective modifier

  • pharmaceutical: Starting salaries are good: £ 20,000 in the pharmaceutical industry.
  • creative: In fact, they will target a growth area in innovation, the creative industries.
  • automotive: For example, in Wales, in the automotive components industry, 78 per cent of firms have attained ISO 9000 standards or higher.
  • nuclear: The range of career opportunities within the nuclear industry is extremely wide.
  • British: The answer was provided by holiday camp supremo Fred Pontin, later to be knighted for his services to the British holiday industry.
  • retail: Career opportunities exist in buying and merchandising as well as related field in the Retail Fashion Industry.

Modifies a noun

  • sector: Lawyers with relevant industry sector experience provide commercially aware, client focused advice throughout the process.
  • expert: To complement lectures and seminars given by industry experts, there will be a number of visits to examples of social enterprises in action.
  • leader: At the current rate of progress, the NUJ in Scotland will soon be the country's industry leader in professional training.
  • insider: While the Guardian quoted one industry insider as saying: " Lines of communication [ between EMI and Warners ] have remained open.
  • standard: Cookies The use of cookies is an industry standard.
  • analyst: Back when I started the Firkin Pubs, bank managers and industry analysts told me it would never work, and guess what?

Noun used with modifier

  • construction: Every year defects in the UK construction industry cost at least £ 1 billion to repair or rebuild.
  • tourism: The tourism industry in Bulgaria increased by 18 % in 2003, the highest figure in Europe.
  • manufacturing: At the center of the country's motor vehicle manufacturing industry.
  • music: Guest speakers will discuss their first-hand experiences of working in the music industry.
  • hospitality: Most students take casual vacation jobs in the tourism or hospitality industries or work in one of Canada's popular ski resorts.
  • tobacco: Commenting, ASH Public Affairs Manager Ian Willmore said: This is a typical self-serving piece of tobacco industry propaganda.