Meaning & use
industries
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“industries” is a form of “industry”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meaning
nounplural
The plural of industry: different types of businesses that make goods or provide services.
Grammar: Use it when you talk about more than one sector, e.g. 'the car and steel industries'. For one sector, use the singular 'industry'.
Patterns
- the ... industries
- industries such as ...
- grow in these industries
The tourism and farming industries are both important here.
Many industries are trying to use less energy.
She has worked in several industries, including banking and health care.
Common combinations
- major industries
- Oil and gas are major industries in the region.
- service industries
- Service industries now employ more people than factories do.
- creative industries
- The city supports creative industries like film and design.
- industries around the world
- Industries around the world are facing the same problem.
Synonyms and how they differ
- sectors
- Sectors is a more formal word for parts of the economy and is often used in business reports.
- businesses
- Businesses refers to individual companies, while industries refers to whole groups of companies.
Word family
- industry noun
- The singular form: one type of business or manufacturing activity.
- industrial adjective
- Relating to industry or factories.
- industrialized adjective
- Having many factories and a developed economy.
Commonly confused: industries or industry's?
industries vs industry's
Industry's means 'belonging to industry' (the industry's profits). Industries is just the plural.
Practice
Which sentence uses the plural correctly?
Choose one answer.
The plural of 'industry' is 'industries' (change -y to -ies). 'Industrys' and 'industryies' are misspellings, and 'industry' with 'are' is wrong because it is singular.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “industries”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.