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 One is to give directly to National Review, a for-profit operation. Madeleine Kearns, National Review, 7 Mar. 2024 The notice terminating the Seaquarium’s county lease moves Miami-Dade dramatically closer to ejecting the Seaquarium from its home of nearly 70 years in a rapid escalation of the confrontation between Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and the company that took over the for-profit operation in 2022. Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2024 Matthews pointed out the differences between her organization and BMI now that the latter is a for-profit entity, saying that after taking a reasonable reserve — and covering expenses — 90 cents of every dollar is distributed to ASCAP songwriters. Ed Christman, Billboard, 6 Mar. 2024 Some fairly basic Form 1040 returns can cost around $250 to prepare at for-profit businesses. The Arizona Republic, 6 Mar. 2024 In a blog post released late Tuesday, OpenAI claimed that Musk was, in fact, on board with plans to make the company for-profit—but with himself as its head. Diane Brady, Fortune, 6 Mar. 2024 Musk acknowledges in the messages that the only path forward was for OpenAI to raise vast sums as a for-profit enterprise. Gerrit De Vynck, Washington Post, 6 Mar. 2024 That for-profit company took OpenAI from effectively worthless to a valuation of $90 billion in just a few years — and Altman is largely credited as the mastermind of that plan and the key to the company’s success. David Goldman, CNN, 6 Mar. 2024 Musk further argues that Altman, in his role as CEO, played a role in causing OpenAI to deviate from its founding principles in transitioning towards a for-profit model and engaging in actions purportedly to maximize profits. Andrew Leahey, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'for-profit.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1939, in the meaning defined above

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

Dictionary Entries Near for-profit

Cite this Entry

“For-profit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/for-profit. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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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