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Definition of "economy" []

  • Careful, thrifty management of resources, such as money, materials, or labor: learned to practice economy in making out the household budget. (noun)
  • An example or result of such management; a saving. (noun)
  • The system or range of economic activity in a country, region, or community: Effects of inflation were felt at every level of the economy. (noun)
  • A specific type of economic system: an industrial economy; a planned economy. (noun)
  • An orderly, functional arrangement of parts; an organized system: "the sense that there is a moral economy in the world, that good is rewarded and evil is punished” ( George F. Will). (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "economy" in a sentence
  • "The only closed economy is the world economy, and if a U.S. default drives a rethink of all investment in government debt around the world, the “closed economy” will thrive as limited capital flows to the enterprising instead of the profligate."
  • "Balance sheets are your gurus. lisagreen As turnaround continues, June chip sales point to tech economy recovery cheekygeeky Between 'Liars Poker' (1989) and 'Fiasco' (1997), anyone who didn't see this derivatives bubble bursting wasn't looking very hard. #economy ptiperson "In this world, with an economy that for most families requires two working adults, students recognize ..."
  • ""The term economy comes from the Greek word, `home.'""