com·mer·cial
kə-ˈmər-shəl 
1
a(1)
: occupied with or engaged in commerce or work intended for commerce
a commercial artist
(2)
: of or relating to commerce
commercial regulations
commercial services
(3)
: characteristic of commerce
commercial weights
(4)
: suitable, adequate, or prepared for commerce
found oil in commercial quantities
b(1)
: being of an average or inferior quality
commercial oxalic acid
show-quality versus commercial cattle
(2)
: producing artistic work of low standards for quick market success
2
a
: viewed with regard to profit
a commercial success
of no commercial value
b
: designed for a large market
commercial coffee production
3
: emphasizing skills and subjects useful in business
a commercial school
4
: supported by advertisers
commercial TV
plural commercials
: an advertisement included with another broadcast (as on radio, television, or a podcast)
Synonyms
Examples of commercial in a Sentence
Adjective
Their music is too commercial.
The average American sees and hears thousands of commercial messages each day.
Noun
a commercial for a new kind of soap
Recent Examples on the Web
Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 7 Apr. 2024
The State Department regularly issues four-year export licenses to the companies, and provides less public information on commercial orders.
—Edward Wong, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2024
These are nimble creatives who know how to adapt—even in the midst of a conservative season, designers came through with riveting displays of creativity and commercial savvy.
—Vogue, 6 Apr. 2024
Boeing stock has dropped 27% year-to-date, and last month the company announced that Calhoun would exit along with board Chairman Larry Kellner and commercial airplanes division CEO Stan Deal.
—Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 6 Apr. 2024
United Airlines is also grappling with fallout from a series of recent safety issues, spurring U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to speak out and insist commercial air travel is safe.
—Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 5 Apr. 2024
Last month, Eli Lilly released a commercial ahead of the 2024 Oscars criticizing people in Hollywood who are misusing their weight loss drugs.
—Vanessa Etienne, Peoplemag, 5 Apr. 2024
The company teased a pair of new vehicles at an investor event in March, with one appearing to be a smaller car and the other, a small commercial truck.
—Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, 5 Apr. 2024
Cremation was also part of the lives of Indigenous people in some parts of the Americas, though the first commercial crematorium in the U.S. did not come about until 1876 — still nine years before the British.
—Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Mar. 2024
Chris Richards, Washington Post, 5 Apr. 2024
There’s too much physical maintenance that goes with this job to be fighting to do a commercial with me and my fake husband taking a blue pill.
—Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 5 Apr. 2024
The commercial teased that the second act of Renaissance was set for release on March 29.
—Rachel Desantis, Peoplemag, 2 Apr. 2024
In particular, his decision to launch an unusual TV commercial in 2000, unleashing that squawking duck mascot, supercharged Aflac’s business and helped change how all insurance is marketed today.
—Maria Aspan, Fortune, 1 Apr. 2024
Shanahan helped produce and pay for a Super Bowl commercial that relied on imagery and music from a television spot that John F. Kennedy ran while running for president in 1960.
—Benjamin Oreskes, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2024
Touts, the yelling men who would give out 1-900 numbers promising to tell you the right side to bet on in the Dolphins-Bills game, were once relegated to late-night commercials.
—Jay Caspian Kang, The New Yorker, 29 Mar. 2024
At the top of 2024, the student marching band was featured in a commercial for Usher‘s Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show, and just a few weeks later, they were treated to a very special surprise visit from none other than first lady Jill Biden.
—Kyle Denis, Billboard, 28 Mar. 2024
And that would be for less advertising, less commercials.
—Daniel Kohn, SPIN, 27 Mar. 2024
Adjective
Although those tepid grades aren’t unusual for the horror genre, a debut under $10 million is not a promising sign for its commercial prospects.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 7 Apr. 2024
The State Department regularly issues four-year export licenses to the companies, and provides less public information on commercial orders.
—Edward Wong, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2024
These are nimble creatives who know how to adapt—even in the midst of a conservative season, designers came through with riveting displays of creativity and commercial savvy.
—Vogue, 6 Apr. 2024
Boeing stock has dropped 27% year-to-date, and last month the company announced that Calhoun would exit along with board Chairman Larry Kellner and commercial airplanes division CEO Stan Deal.
—Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 6 Apr. 2024
United Airlines is also grappling with fallout from a series of recent safety issues, spurring U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to speak out and insist commercial air travel is safe.
—Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 5 Apr. 2024
Last month, Eli Lilly released a commercial ahead of the 2024 Oscars criticizing people in Hollywood who are misusing their weight loss drugs.
—Vanessa Etienne, Peoplemag, 5 Apr. 2024
The company teased a pair of new vehicles at an investor event in March, with one appearing to be a smaller car and the other, a small commercial truck.
—Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, 5 Apr. 2024
Cremation was also part of the lives of Indigenous people in some parts of the Americas, though the first commercial crematorium in the U.S. did not come about until 1876 — still nine years before the British.
—Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Mar. 2024
Noun
In 2010, Vampire Weekend suddenly became the biggest rock band in America, with a chart-topping sophomore album and a song placement in a Honda commercial that could not be forgotten, forgiven or escaped.
—Chris Richards, Washington Post, 5 Apr. 2024
There’s too much physical maintenance that goes with this job to be fighting to do a commercial with me and my fake husband taking a blue pill.
—Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 5 Apr. 2024
The commercial teased that the second act of Renaissance was set for release on March 29.
—Rachel Desantis, Peoplemag, 2 Apr. 2024
In particular, his decision to launch an unusual TV commercial in 2000, unleashing that squawking duck mascot, supercharged Aflac’s business and helped change how all insurance is marketed today.
—Maria Aspan, Fortune, 1 Apr. 2024
Shanahan helped produce and pay for a Super Bowl commercial that relied on imagery and music from a television spot that John F. Kennedy ran while running for president in 1960.
—Benjamin Oreskes, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2024
Touts, the yelling men who would give out 1-900 numbers promising to tell you the right side to bet on in the Dolphins-Bills game, were once relegated to late-night commercials.
—Jay Caspian Kang, The New Yorker, 29 Mar. 2024
At the top of 2024, the student marching band was featured in a commercial for Usher‘s Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show, and just a few weeks later, they were treated to a very special surprise visit from none other than first lady Jill Biden.
—Kyle Denis, Billboard, 28 Mar. 2024
And that would be for less advertising, less commercials.
—Daniel Kohn, SPIN, 27 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'commercial.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near commercial
Cite this Entry
“Commercial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/commercial. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
commercial
1 of 2 adjective
com·mer·cial
kə-ˈmər-shəl
1
: of or relating to commerce
2
: designed mainly for profit
especially
: designed for mass appeal
the commercial theater
3
: paid for by advertisers
commercial TV
commercial
2 of 2 noun
: an advertisement broadcast on radio or television
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