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

And while the roots of the commodity can be credited to African farmers and producers, the coffee industry has largely gotten away from the Black community. —Lyndsay C. Green, Freep.com, 3 Oct. 2025

After reporting second-quarter earnings in August, the company raised its commodity inflation guidance to 5% this year, squarely blaming rising beef prices. —Natasha Abellard, CNBC, 3 Oct. 2025

The emergency commodity assistance program provides payments to agricultural producers for eligible crops like rice, cotton and sorghum to help mitigate the effects of higher production costs and lower commodity prices. —Cristina Larue, Arkansas Online, 1 Oct. 2025

From data centers to airlines, commodities to videogames, electric cars to the ports and shipping lines used to move them and other goods around the world, a handful of funds fueled by oil sales are increasingly touching the lives of people all over the world. —Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 1 Oct. 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