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
To make raw material for an influenza vaccine, virus is grown in millions of fertilized eggs.
—Arthur Allen, CBS News, 29 May 2024
Mauricio Pochettino was, at last, beginning to carve something in the vague shape of a team from the haphazard raw materials presented to him by the club’s many owners and sporting directors.
—Rory Smith, New York Times, 24 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for raw material 
Arthur Allen, CBS News, 29 May 2024
Mauricio Pochettino was, at last, beginning to carve something in the vague shape of a team from the haphazard raw materials presented to him by the club’s many owners and sporting directors.
—Rory Smith, New York Times, 24 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for raw material
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'raw material.' 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 raw material
Cite this Entry
“Raw material.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/raw%20material. Accessed 2 Jun. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share