commodity
noun
com·mod·i·ty
kə-ˈmä-də-tē 
plural commodities
1
: an economic good: such as
a
: a product of agriculture or mining
agricultural commodities like grain and corn
b
: an article of commerce especially when delivered for shipment
reported the damaged commodities to officials
c
: a mass-produced unspecialized product
commodity chemicals
commodity memory chips
2
b
: convenience, advantage
… the many commodities incidental to the life of a public office …—
Charles Lamb
Charles Lamb3
: a good or service whose wide availability typically leads to smaller profit margins and diminishes the importance of factors (such as brand name) other than price
4
: one that is subject to ready exchange or exploitation within a market
… stars as individuals and as commodities of the film industry.—Film Quarterly
Film QuarterlySynonyms
Examples of commodity in a Sentence
agricultural commodities like grain and corn
Oil is a commodity in high demand.
Patience is a rare commodity.
Recent Examples on the Web
The House, which has a slim GOP majority, and Senate, with a slight Democratic majority, are at odds on some of the largest spending in the bill for issues such as the supplemental nutrition assistance program, crop insurance and commodity prices.
—Gillian Brassil, Sacramento Bee, 30 May 2024
Brian Luke, head of commodities, real and digital assets at S&P Dow Jones Indices, says that pandemic boom towns — Phoenix, Tampa and Dallas — are now growing at a much slower pace.
—Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 May 2024
Soy oil values are down so far this year, though futures in Chicago have seen an uptick in the last couple of trading days as commodities traders await tariff news.
—Tarso Veloso, Fortune Asia, 14 May 2024
Copper is emerging as the next indispensable industrial commodity, mirroring oil’s rise in earlier decades, a top commodities analyst said.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 19 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for commodity 
Gillian Brassil, Sacramento Bee, 30 May 2024
Brian Luke, head of commodities, real and digital assets at S&P Dow Jones Indices, says that pandemic boom towns — Phoenix, Tampa and Dallas — are now growing at a much slower pace.
—Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 May 2024
Soy oil values are down so far this year, though futures in Chicago have seen an uptick in the last couple of trading days as commodities traders await tariff news.
—Tarso Veloso, Fortune Asia, 14 May 2024
Copper is emerging as the next indispensable industrial commodity, mirroring oil’s rise in earlier decades, a top commodities analyst said.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 19 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for commodity
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'commodity.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Commodity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/commodity. Accessed 6 Jun. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
commodity
noun
com·mod·i·ty
kə-ˈmäd-ət-ē
plural commodities
1
: a product of agriculture or mining
2
: an article that is bought and sold in commerce
Legal Definition
commodity
noun
com·mod·i·ty
kə-ˈmä-də-tē
plural commodities
: a class of economic goods
especially
: an item of merchandise (as soybeans) whose price is the basis of futures trading
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