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Learn the various meanings and uses of the word industry, from manufacturing activity to diligence in work. See synonyms, examples, word history, and related phrases of industry.
Learn the meaning of industry in English, with different contexts and usage. Find out how to use industry as a noun in production, type of work, or quality, and see related words and phrases.
- Overview
- Primary industry
- Secondary industry
- Tertiary industry
- Quaternary industry
Written and fact-checked byThe Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.
Table of Contents
•Introduction
•Primary industry
This sector of a nation’s economy includes agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining, quarrying, and the extraction of minerals. It may be divided into two categories: genetic industry, including the production of raw materials that may be increased by human intervention in the production process; and extractive industry, including the production of exhaustible raw materials that cannot be augmented through cultivation.
The genetic industries include agriculture, forestry, and livestock management and fishing—all of which are subject to scientific and technological improvement of renewable resources. The extractive industries include the mining of mineral ores, the quarrying of stone, and the extraction of mineral fuels.
This sector, also called manufacturing industry, (1) takes the raw materials supplied by primary industries and processes them into consumer goods, or (2) further processes goods that other secondary industries have transformed into products, or (3) builds capital goods used to manufacture consumer and nonconsumer goods. Secondary industry also includes energy-producing industries (e.g., hydroelectric industries) as well as the construction industry.
Secondary industry may be divided into heavy, or large-scale, and light, or small-scale, industry. Large-scale industry generally requires heavy capital investment in plants and machinery, serves a large and diverse market including other manufacturing industries, has a complex industrial organization and frequently a skilled specialized labour force, and generates a large volume of output. Examples would include petroleum refining, steel and iron manufacturing (see metalwork), motor vehicle and heavy machinery manufacture, cement production, nonferrous metal refining, meat-packing, and hydroelectric power generation.
Molten steel being poured into a ladle from an electric arc furnace, 1940s.
Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (Digital File Number: LC-DIG-fsac-1a35062)
This broad sector, also called the service industry, includes industries that, while producing no tangible goods, provide services or intangible gains or generate wealth. This sector generally includes both private and government enterprises.
The industries of this sector include, among others, banking, finance, insurance, investment, and real estate services; wholesale, retail, and resale trade; transportation; professional, consulting, legal, and personal services; tourism, hotels, restaurants, and entertainment; repair and maintenance services; and health, social welfare, administrative, police, security, and defense services.
An extension of tertiary industry that is often recognized as its own sector, quaternary industry, is concerned with information-based or knowledge-oriented products and services. Like the tertiary sector, it comprises a mixture of private and government endeavours. Industries and activities in this sector include information systems and informatio...
Industry definition: the aggregate of manufacturing or technically productive enterprises in a particular field, often named after its principal product. See examples of INDUSTRY used in a sentence.
Jun 5, 2024 · What Is an Industry? The term "industry" is a classification for a group of companies that have similar business activities. In modern economies, there are dozens of industry classifications....
- David Gorton
- 2 min
Learn the meaning, pronunciation and usage of the word industry in English. Find out the different types and contexts of industry, such as production, service, quality and working hard.
INDUSTRY meaning: 1 : the process of making products by using machinery and factories; 2 : a group of businesses that provide a particular product or service.
