commodity

noun

com·​mod·​i·​ty kə-ˈmä-də-tē How to pronounce commodity (audio)
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
a
: something useful or valued
that valuable commodity, patience
also : thing, entity
b
: convenience, advantage
… the many commodities incidental to the life of a public office …Charles Lamb
3
: 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
5
obsolete : quantity, lot

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 In the past, certain businesses would have looked at banking as a commodity. Nicole Goodkind, CNN, 11 Mar. 2024 Security, economic growth, and personal freedoms all suffer as trust becomes a commodity for sale. Mark Sappenfield, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 Mar. 2024 Manufacturers have blamed the war in Ukraine (previously a major agricultural producer) for disrupting the world's commodity markets, including for sunflower and soybean oils. Alexander Coolidge, The Enquirer, 10 Mar. 2024 Even by Kar-Jenner business standards — each sister is attached to at least one commodity, including tequila, gummy supplements, size-inclusive denim and, the crown jewel, shapewear — this has been an eventful week for Ms. Jenner. Jessica Testa, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2024 During a congressional hearing in June 2023, House Financial Services Committee Chair Patrick McHenry grilled Gensler about whether ether was a security or a commodity. Steven Ehrlich, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 The Project now features a smaller, more efficient zinc-silver-lead plant, introduces a separate tin plant for additional revenue and commodity diversification and highlights the development path forward for Ayawilca to become a producing mine. Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Feb. 2024 Still, economists and government officials blame the inflation of the past few years on a mix of factors: supply disruptions during the pandemic, a tighter (and more expensive) labor market, higher gas prices as well as tighter commodity markets amid the war in the Ukraine. The Enquirer, 7 Mar. 2024 Robinson’s still developing his technique, but his first-step explosiveness and speed-to-power variation is a rare commodity. Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Mar. 2024

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.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English commoditee, from Anglo-French, from Latin commoditat-, commoditas, from commodus

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of commodity was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near commodity

Cite this Entry

“Commodity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/commodity. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

commodity

noun
com·​mod·​i·​ty kə-ˈmäd-ət-ē How to pronounce commodity (audio)
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 How to pronounce commodity (audio)
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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