Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Established or operated with the intention of making a profit.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective of an organization For the purpose of making money.
  • noun An organization whose goal is to make a profit.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

for + profit; see earlier not-for-profit, non-profit.

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Examples

  • Steve Bolingbroke, managing director of Kunskapsskolan, added: I have a problem with the phrase 'for-profit' that is used.

    The Guardian World News Daniel Boffey 2012

  • That's happening now with a growing trend called "impact investing," defined as for-profit investment made to solve social and environment problems.

    Tony Greenberg: When Valuations Don't Mean Valuable Tony Greenberg 2011

  • Until recently, capitalism simply referred to "for-profit" businesses that were privately owned.

    Srinivasan Pillay: Capitalism Revisited: Why Society Matters Srinivasan Pillay 2011

  • Until recently, capitalism simply referred to "for-profit" businesses that were privately owned.

    The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com Srinivasan Pillay 2011

  • The disproportionate role of for-profit schools in student-loan default rates was reflected in the Department of Education's announcement Monday, which named five schools across the U.S. that face possible sanctions because of extremely high default rates.

    Student-Loan Defaults on the Rise Kevin Helliker 2011

  • The new standards call for for-profit institutions to provide prospective enrollees with information about students' graduation and employment rates.

    Student-Loan Defaults on the Rise Kevin Helliker 2011

  • Uncle Sam has turned increasingly to for-profit prison companies to house inmates.

    Court Weighs Private Inmates' Rights John R. Emshwiller 2011

  • Meanwhile, a group of for-profit schools planned to unveil new standards of conduct Tuesday designed in part to lower default rates among its students.

    Student-Loan Defaults on the Rise Kevin Helliker 2011

  • The new standards at for-profit schools come from a task force established several months ago by a coalition of investors and for-profit executives, in response to revelations about for-profit schools employing highly aggressive tactics to recruit students who either never graduated or obtained degrees that failed to land jobs, resulting in extremely high levels of default.

    Student-Loan Defaults on the Rise Kevin Helliker 2011

  • So far, 15 for-profit schools have agreed to the guidelines.

    Student-Loan Defaults on the Rise Kevin Helliker 2011

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