Meaning & use
nonprofit
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Meanings
nouncountable
An organization that uses its income for its stated purpose rather than to make money for owners.
Grammar: Countable; can be shortened to nonprofit in informal US English. Plural nonprofits.
Patterns
- a nonprofit organization
- run a nonprofit
- work for a nonprofit
She works for a nonprofit that helps homeless families.
The nonprofit receives donations from local businesses.
Many nonprofits rely on volunteers to keep costs low.
adjectivebefore a noun
Describing an organization whose goal is not to make a profit.
Grammar: Used before a noun: a nonprofit group. Not usually used after a verb.
Patterns
- nonprofit organization
- nonprofit sector
He started a nonprofit theater company in his hometown.
The nonprofit sector employs millions of people.
Word forms
| plural | nonprofits |
|---|
Common combinations
- nonprofit organization
- A nonprofit organization must file a yearly report.
- nonprofit sector
- Jobs in the nonprofit sector often pay less than business jobs.
- run a nonprofit
- They run a nonprofit that teaches coding to kids.
- nonprofit status
- The group applied for nonprofit status to avoid taxes.
Synonyms and how they differ
- not-for-profit
- Same meaning, but often used in British English and in formal writing.
- charity
- A charity is a type of nonprofit that mainly helps people or causes; not all nonprofits are charities.
Opposites
Word family
- nonprofitable adjective
- Not making a profit; less common than nonprofit.
Commonly confused: nonprofit or not-for-profit?
nonprofit vs not-for-profit
Very similar, but not-for-profit is more common in British English and sounds slightly more formal.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'nonprofit' correctly?
Choose one answer.
A nonprofit is an organization that does not aim to make money for owners, so donating to one makes sense. Option 0 is wrong because a nonprofit is not a profit amount; option 2 is wrong because high dividends go to owners, which nonprofits do not have; option 3 is wrong because a nonprofit is not usually sold for profit.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “nonprofit”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.