Meaning & use
domestic industry
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
the businesses in a country that make or sell goods and services inside that country, rather than abroad.
Grammar: Countable, and often used in the plural when talking about the whole sector: 'domestic industries'.
Patterns
- a domestic industry
- domestic industries
- protect domestic industry
- the domestic industry for something
The government introduced new taxes to protect domestic industry.
Cheaper imports have put pressure on domestic industries such as textiles.
Domestic industry grew quickly after the new trade agreement.
noununcountabletechnical
the production of goods or services within one country, considered as a single economic activity.
Grammar: Uncountable when it means the activity in general, not a particular business sector.
Patterns
- growth in domestic industry
- investment in domestic industry
Investment in domestic industry has risen for three years.
The report compares domestic industry with export manufacturing.
Word forms
| plural | domestic industries |
|---|
Common combinations
- protect domestic industry
- Tariffs were raised to protect domestic industry.
- domestic industry grows
- Domestic industry has grown steadily since the reforms.
- support domestic industry
- The party promised to support domestic industry with loans.
- a decline in domestic industry
- The region suffered a decline in domestic industry.
Synonyms and how they differ
- home industry
- Used mainly in British English for small local production, not for large national sectors.
- local industry
- Refers to businesses in a particular area or town, which may be smaller than a whole country's industry.
Opposites
Word family
- domestic adjective
- relating to the home or to one's own country.
- domestically adverb
- in a way that relates to one's own country.
- industrial adjective
- relating to industry in general.
- industrialize verb
- to develop industry in a country or region.
Commonly confused: domestic industry or domesticated?
domestic industry vs domesticated
Means 'tamed' for animals or plants; it does not mean 'within the country'.
Practice
The government wants to reduce imports and help ______.
Choose one answer.
'Domestic industry' fits as an uncountable noun phrase meaning the sector in general. 'Domestic industries' would need a plural verb or a context naming several sectors, and 'domestic industrial' is an adjective that cannot be the object of 'help'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “domestic industry”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.