by-product
noun
by-prod·uct
ˈbī-ˌprä-(ˌ)dəkt 
variants
or byproduct
plural by-products or byproducts
1
: something produced in a usually industrial or biological process in addition to the principal product
Sulfured molasses is a by-product of sugar refining.—
Wayne Gisslen
Wayne GisslenSmall amounts of amyloid beta are generated as an ordinary metabolic byproduct and are believed to do no harm, but larger amounts seem to be tied to Alzheimer's.—January W. Payne
January W. PayneMeat by-products are parts other than meat, including organs, blood and bone …—Amy D. Shojai
Amy D. ShojaiAmong the most commonly occurring and thoroughly studied chlorination byproducts are trihalomethanes …—Consumer Reports
Consumer Reports2
: a secondary and sometimes unexpected or unintended result
Japan's success as an international exporter of manufactured goods is a by-product of the volatile trade among Japanese cities.—Jane Jacobs
Jane JacobsAs investor confidence grows, overspending and overborrowing are typically byproducts of an aging bull market.—Carolyn Bigda
Carolyn BigdaOne of the by-products of the information age is an increasing number of data formats.—John Was
John WasExamples of by-product in a Sentence
hydrogen is one by-product of that chemical reaction
Recent Examples on the Web
This action is tied to national security concerns about supply chain risks, not a product-by-product security test of individual routers.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 24 Apr. 2026
Any social good that emerged was a mere by-product of the economic dynamism these relations were supposed to unleash.
—Hettie O'Brien, The Dial, 21 Apr. 2026
Through it all, however, West struggled with depression and a sense of self-loathing, and had trouble with intimacy, much of it a by-product of a hardscrabble childhood in West Virginia with a domineering father.
—Stuart Miller, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2026
The ban will cover sulfuric acid that’s a by-product of copper and zinc smelting in China.
—Julian Luk, Bloomberg, 10 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for by-product
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Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 24 Apr. 2026
Any social good that emerged was a mere by-product of the economic dynamism these relations were supposed to unleash.
—Hettie O'Brien, The Dial, 21 Apr. 2026
Through it all, however, West struggled with depression and a sense of self-loathing, and had trouble with intimacy, much of it a by-product of a hardscrabble childhood in West Virginia with a domineering father.
—Stuart Miller, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2026
The ban will cover sulfuric acid that’s a by-product of copper and zinc smelting in China.
—Julian Luk, Bloomberg, 10 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for by-product
Cite this Entry
“By-product.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/by-product. Accessed 28 Apr. 2026.
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