nonfarm

adjective

non·​farm ˌnän-ˈfärm How to pronounce nonfarm (audio)
variants or non-farm
: not of or relating to farms or farming
nonfarm job growth
nonfarm products
non-farm land
non-farming adjective
or nonfarming
non-farming activities
a nonfarming family

Examples of nonfarm in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The Labor Department reported that the headline unemployment rate dropped to a 50-year low and that nonfarm payrolls grew more than expected. Heard Editors, WSJ, 6 Jan. 2023 The chart shows the trajectory of employment, the monthly growth in nonfarm payrolls, during the recession that started in December 1973. Joseph W. Sullivan, National Review, 19 Dec. 2022 Texas hit a new employment high in September for the 11th consecutive month, with nonfarm payrolls reaching 13.6 million. Dallas News, 21 Oct. 2022 Back in 2008, the US Centers for Disease Control calculated that crop workers die from heat stress at 20 times the rate of nonfarm employees. Tom Philpott, Wired, 6 Aug. 2022 Total nonfarm employment statewide topped 13.6 million in October, the 12th consecutive month that Texas has set a record high for that metric. Dallas News, 18 Nov. 2022 As pressure from the Fed’s war on inflation builds, nonfarm payrolls will begin shrinking early next year, translating to a loss of about 175,000 jobs a month during the first quarter, the bank said. Matt Egan, CNN, 10 Oct. 2022 In the 1950s, when as many as one-third of U.S. nonfarm workers were union members, annual inflation averaged about 2%. Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 29 June 2022 Productivity, or nonfarm business employee output per hour, decreased at a 4.6 percent annual rate in the second quarter after falling at a 7.4 percent pace in the previous three months, Labor Department figures showed Tuesday. BostonGlobe.com, 9 Aug. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'nonfarm.' 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

1865, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of nonfarm was in 1865

Dictionary Entries Near nonfarm

Cite this Entry

“Nonfarm.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nonfarm. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.

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