commercial

adjective com·mer·cial \ kə-ˈmər-shəl \

|Updated on: 15 Jun 2018

Examples: commercial in a Sentence

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

—

commerciality

play \kə-ˌmər-shē-ˈa-lə-tē\ noun

—

commercially

play \kə-ˈmər-sh(ə-)lē\ adverb

See commercial defined for English-language learners

See commercial defined for kids

Examples of commercial in a Sentence

Their music is too commercial.
The average American sees and hears thousands of commercial messages each day.

Recent Examples of commercial from the Web

The station contained its own restaurants, barbershop, newsstand and other amenities, and as many as 200 trains once departed from there each day in the years before interstate highways and commercial air travel.

— dan austin and jc reindl, Detroit Free Press, "Archive: Once crown jewel, Detroit train station now symbol of ruin," 11 June 2018
Americans became acclimated to this particular flavor profile of commercial ketchup — which was different from the ketchups produced by home cooks.

— amy bentley, BostonGlobe.com, "Is ketchup the perfect complement to the American diet?," 10 June 2018
On Thursday, consultants at a public forum presented proposed redevelopment plans that would enliven the moribund commercial corridor with a mix of higher density housing, retail and public spaces.

— jesse leavenworth, Courant Community, "East Hartford Looking At Ways To Revitalize Silver Lane," 8 June 2018
Its name, borrowed from a novel by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry set at the dawn of commercial aviation, translates to Night Flight, suggesting, along with the Trappist ales on offer, a red-eye into a land of pastoral retreat and deep history.

— neima jahromi, The New Yorker, "Seeking a Continental Illusion at Vol de Nuit," 8 June 2018
At the time, the native New Yorker was in her early 20s, racing from auditions to commercial jobs to dancing gigs.

— yohana desta, HWD, "Being One of the Only Black Actresses on Sex and the City Was a “Surreal” Experience," 8 June 2018
The median yearly wage for commercial pilots was $78,740 in May 2017.

— mará rose williams, kansascity, "Airlines are clamoring to hire K-State graduates and reverse pilot shortage," 8 June 2018
Between 2010 and 2015, Divisadero established itself as one of the city’s fastest-growing commercial corridors with a 136 percent increase in sales tax revenue from the hospitality industry.

— justin phillips, San Francisco Chronicle, "Divisadero has become SF’s most prolific new restaurant neighborhood," 8 June 2018
The leases total 26,259 square feet at 1 Sugar Creek Center Blvd., commercial real estate firm Transwestern said.

— katherine feser, Houston Chronicle, "Sugar Land office building adds 4 tenants," 4 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'commercial.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of commercial

see ¹commerce

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1598

in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

See Words from the same year

commercial Synonyms

Other Business Terms

amortize, caveat emptor, clearinghouse, divest, due diligence, emolument, green-collar, marque, overhead, perquisite

commercial

noun

: an advertisement on radio or television

See commercial defined for English-language learners

Examples of commercial in a Sentence

a commercial for a new kind of soap

Recent Examples of commercial from the Web

These days time on TV is measured in precious minutes or, in such extreme cases as Super Bowl commercials, prodigiously expensive seconds.

— joe morgenstern, WSJ, "‘Won’t You Be My Neighbor?’ Review: Charm and Change," 7 June 2018
Inspired by Joga Bonito and Brazilian flair, Nike has released a fantastic commercial, hoping to entertain and inspire as la Seleção aims to win its sixth World Cup title in Russia.

— luis miguel echegaray, SI.com, "WATCH: Nike Releases Brazil World Cup Commercial," 3 June 2018
Steyer’s town halls, which last about an hour, begin with a presentation of one of the latest impeachment commercials, after which Steyer gives brief remarks—lasting about ten minutes—and then takes questions from the audience.

— jeffrey toobin, The New Yorker, "Will the Fervor for Impeachment Start a Democratic Civil War?," 19 May 2018
Bonnie is available for production rental for print publications, commercials, movies, and TV shows, and Colorado Caravan is also taking orders for new client projects.

— megan barber, Curbed, "Restored vintage Airstream is 140 square feet of mobile bliss," 7 May 2018
Through carefree commercials, whimsical posters, and even clothing and makeup collaborations, music festivals are promoted as a leave-your-cares-at-the-door-and-don’t-think-about-real-world-problems fantasy land.

— isabel sophia dieppa, Marie Claire, "Women Are Being Harassed at Music Festivals in Scary Numbers—WTF Is Going On?," 2 May 2018
The show is raffish, quirky, whip-smart, defiantly non-commercial, and totally unafraid to offend, especially from the left side of the political spectrum.

— joey morona, cleveland.com, "Cleveland featured in premiere of Travel Channel's 'Eat, Drink, Haggle' with Lara Spencer," 21 Apr. 2018
With the tech industry under fire from both the right and the left, and Facebook airing apology commercials, net neutrality might not be a top priority, especially if the industry doesn't expect to win a legislative battle.

— klint finley, WIRED, "Big Tech's Fight for Net Neutrality Moves Behind the Scenes," 27 May 2018
For those who are confused, the dance comes from this viral commercial from 2009.

— alysha tsuji, For The Win, "Steph Curry is doing the 'BBQ and foot massage' dance again," 26 May 2018