raw material
noun
: crude or processed material that can be converted by manufacture, processing, or combination into a new and useful product
Wheat … is raw material for the flour mill …—
C. A. Koepke
C. A. Koepke
broadly
: something with a potential for improvement, development, or elaboration
… perplexities are often the raw material of discoveries. —Agnes M. Clerke
Agnes M. Clerke Examples of raw material in a Sentence
His experiences during the war were the raw material for the story.
Recent Examples on the Web
The decline in the measure reflected producers drawing down their raw materials inventories at the fastest rate since October 2024.
—Reade Pickert Bloomberg, Arkansas Online, 6 Jan. 2026
Economists warned that this approach would hurtdomestic manufacturing by raising the price of raw materials.
—Gilad Edelman, The Atlantic, 5 Jan. 2026
Independent energy analyst Rachel Ziemba, who agrees major oil companies may hesitate, also notes that declines in the price of crude – the raw material for consumer products like gasoline – are often not fully passed on to consumers.
—Andrea Riquier, USA Today, 5 Jan. 2026
The process is more of a coal-to-product process efficiency boost that means more of the raw material is actually converted to the final product.
—Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 4 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for raw material
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Reade Pickert Bloomberg, Arkansas Online, 6 Jan. 2026
Economists warned that this approach would hurtdomestic manufacturing by raising the price of raw materials.
—Gilad Edelman, The Atlantic, 5 Jan. 2026
Independent energy analyst Rachel Ziemba, who agrees major oil companies may hesitate, also notes that declines in the price of crude – the raw material for consumer products like gasoline – are often not fully passed on to consumers.
—Andrea Riquier, USA Today, 5 Jan. 2026
The process is more of a coal-to-product process efficiency boost that means more of the raw material is actually converted to the final product.
—Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 4 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for raw material
Cite this Entry
“Raw material.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/raw%20material. Accessed 7 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share