for-profit

adjective

for-prof·​it ˈfȯr-ˈprä-fət How to pronounce for-profit (audio)
: established, maintained, or conducted for the purpose of making a profit
for-profit businesses

Examples of for-profit in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Its failure was largely seen as a win for the state’s three biggest for-profit utilities. — Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026 Some of the biggest complaints about the WNBA come from the idea that it's run like a charity instead of as a for-profit entity. — Dan Zaksheske Outkick, FOXNews.com, 1 Sep. 2026 Her treatment has been handled exclusively by the for-profit prison company’s medical staff, despite a referral for an endocrinologist signed by the head of the medical unit at the last ICE facility where Bartko was held in Florida. — Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 30 Aug. 2026 After Musk left, OpenAI launched massively successful AI products, namely ChatGPT, struck partnerships with tech titans including Microsoft, converted its business into a for-profit with a non-profit parent, and raised huge sums of funding. — Lora Kolodny, CNBC, 29 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for for-profit

Word History

First Known Use

1939, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of for-profit was in 1939

Rhymes for for-profit

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Browse Nearby Words

for print
for-profit
for (quite) some time
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“For-profit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/for-profit. Accessed 7 Sep. 2026.

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Kids Definition

for-profit

adjective
for-prof·​it
ˈfȯr-ˈpräf-ət
: existing or carried on for the purpose of making a profit
for-profit business
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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