nonprofit

/ˈnɑnˈprɑfɪt/

/nɒnˈprɒfɪt/

Other forms: nonprofits

A business or organization is nonprofit if its main purpose isn't making money for its owners. Nonprofit companies usually raise money for charities.

You can use the word nonprofit as an adjective or a noun — a nonprofit is an organization that benefits some public good, rather than raising revenue for stockholders or owners. There are educational nonprofits, religious nonprofits, public health nonprofits, and many others. The word's been around since the 1920s, combining non, or "not," with profit, from the Latin root profectus, "advance, increase, success, or progress."

Definitions of nonprofit

1. adjective

   not commercially motivated
   synonyms: non-profit-making

   noncommercial

   not motivated by profit or intended for business purposes
2. noun

   an organization chartered for other than profit-making activities
   synonyms: nonprofit organization, not-for-profit

   type of:

   organisation, organization

   the act of organizing a business or an activity related to a business