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

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

Synonyms

• object
• entity
• substance
• reality

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

Pipelines move natural gas from the source to the end user and are considered the safest mode of transportation for this commodity. —David Blackmon, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2025

Current tariff rates have reached their highest levels in decades, driving up consumer prices across commodities, with electronics and gaming hardware being particularly affected. —Dave Smith, Fortune, 20 Aug. 2025

Rhino horn can fetch more than $60,000 per kilogram on the black market, a commodity more valuable than gold, platinum or diamonds, according to the United Kingdom's Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs. —Dakota Bennett, ABC News, 20 Aug. 2025

First-rounders must be treated as precious commodities, and applying lottery protections to the pick (while sensible) prevented Miami not only from trading its first-round picks in 2027 or 2028 but also keeps the Heat from including a 2029 first-round pick in a trade. —Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 19 Aug. 2025

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

Phrases Containing commodity

• hot commodity

Rhymes for commodity

• oddity

Kids 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