Meaning & use
industry
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Meanings
nouncountablebusiness
A group of businesses that make a particular kind of product or service.
Grammar: Countable: the film industry.
Patterns
- the something industry
- in the industry
She works in the fashion industry.
The tourism industry grew rapidly.
noununcountable
Manufacturing and large-scale production in general.
Grammar: Uncountable: industry and agriculture.
Patterns
- heavy industry
The region depends on heavy industry.
Industry produces much of the country's pollution.
noununcountableformalold-fashioned
Hard and steady work.
Grammar: Formal use: a model of industry.
Patterns
- a model of industry
Her industry won her a promotion.
The village was known for its industry.
Word forms
| plural | industries |
|---|
Common combinations
- film industry
- He works in the film industry.
- heavy industry
- Heavy industry has declined.
- service industry
- The service industry employs many.
- industry standard
- This is the industry standard.
- cottage industry
- Candle making is a cottage industry here.
Synonyms and how they differ
- sector
- Part of the economy, broader than a trade.
- business
- Often a single firm.
- diligence
- Matches only the hard work sense.
Opposites
Word family
- industrial adjective
- relating to industry
- industrious adjective
- hard-working
- industrialize verb
- to develop industries
Commonly confused: industry or industrious?
industry vs industrious
Industrious means hard-working; industrial relates to industry.
Practice
She has worked in the music ___ for twenty years.
Choose one answer.
After the music, a noun is needed: industry. Industrial is an adjective.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “industry”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.