non-profit

non-profit — adjective

1. used to describe an organization, business, or activity that uses any income for

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

used to describe an organization, business, or activity that uses any income for social, educational, or charitable purposes instead of paying profits to owners or shareholders

Example

The animal shelter is a non-profit organization that depends on public donations.

attributive use: non-profit + noun

Mayumi's foundation gives out non-profit loans to small farmers in rural Kenya.

non-profit as adjective before loan

Common collocations
  • non-profit organization
  • non-profit sector
  • non-profit status
  • non-profit school
  • non-profit hospital
  • non-profit theater
Synonyms
  • not-for-profit

    identical meaning, used especially in legal contexts in the US

  • charitable

    narrower — specifically about helping people in need, while non-profit can also cover educational, cultural, or advocacy work

Antonyms
  • for-profit

    describes a business that distributes profits to owners or shareholders

Grammar Patterns

non-profit + noun

be + non-profit

Usage Note

Attributive position (before a noun) is most common, as in 'non-profit organization'. Can also be used predicatively: 'The clinic is non-profit.'

Common Mistakes

Everything in this non-profit store is free.
Everything in this non-profit store is sold at cost, with profits going to charity.
Non-profit does not mean free; it means surpluses are reinvested in the mission.
She bought a non-profit ticket to the concert.
She bought a discounted ticket to the concert.
Non-profit describes organizations, not price reductions.

non-profit — noun

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four terms describe organizations that work for social good rather than profit. However, they differ in scope and typical use. Charity is the narrowest—it usually refers to an organization that directly relieves poverty or suffering, such as a food bank or homeless shelter. Foundation typically holds a large endowment and gives grants to other organizations rather than running its own programs; examples include the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and local community foundations. NGO (non-governmental organization) is often used for organizations that work on advocacy, development, or human rights, especially across national borders—Amnesty International and Doctors Without Borders are NGOs. Non-profit is the broadest umbrella term covering all of these. For instance, a local soup kitchen is a charity; a family-run grant-giving trust is a foundation; an international environmental campaign group is an NGO—all are non-profits.

non-profit ↗charity ↗foundation ↗NGO

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • non-profit status
  • non-profit sector
  • non-profit organization

Prepositions

  • work for a non-profit
  • donate to a non-profit
  • apply to a non-profit
  • run as a non-profit

Etymology

LatinEnglish

Formed by combining the prefix 'non-' (meaning 'not') with the noun 'profit', which comes from Latin 'profectus' meaning 'progress, advance, benefit'. The term 'non-profit' came into widespread use in the early 20th century in the United States to describe organizations that are legally barred from distributing surplus income to owners or members.