Meanings
- not comparableProviding goods or services, but not for the purpose of making a profit.
For-profit capitalism has created social and economic inequality; successful not-for-profit businesses including Mozilla and the Big Issue point to an alternative path[.]
2014 October 1, Donnie Maclurcan, Jennifer Hinton, “Beyond capitalism: not-for-profit business ethos motivates sustainable behaviour”, in The Guardian, →ISSN1 more example
Formerly ^([sic – meaning Formally]) known as the Rail Safety and Standards Board, the not-for-profit organisation's remit includes managing and developing Railway Group Standards on behalf of the rail industry, leading the development of long-term safety strategy, and supporting cross-industry groups that address major areas of safety risk.
2020 December 2, Mark Phillips, “Rebuilding Rail in the 2020s”, in Rail, page 46Synonyms: non-profit, non-profit-making
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveProviding goods or services, but not for the purpose of making a profit.
More synonyms by meaning
nounan organization chartered for other than profit-making activities
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Cite this entry
not-for-profit. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/not-for-profit
“not-for-profit.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/not-for-profit. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “not-for-profit,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/not-for-profit.
Source: not-for-profit on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.