com·mer·cial
kə-ˈmər-shəl 
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
plural commercials
: an advertisement included with another broadcast (as on radio, television, or a podcast)
Synonyms
Examples of commercial in a Sentence
Adjective
Their music is too commercial.
The average American sees and hears thousands of commercial messages each day.
Noun
a commercial for a new kind of soap
Recent Examples on the Web
Matthew Brown, Fortune, 19 Apr. 2024
That album enjoyed wild critical praise and commercial success, winning Best Contemporary Christian Music Album at the 2014 Grammys, as well as Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year at the GMA Dove Awards (the CCM equivalent of the Grammys).
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 19 Apr. 2024
Pacific sleeper sharks are most often encountered as bycatch in the nets of Alaska’s commercial fisheries, and few survive the trauma, experts say.
—Mark Price, Miami Herald, 18 Apr. 2024
The commercial art world is a masculine environment.
—Michael Snyder, New York Times, 18 Apr. 2024
The company’s Wisconsin workforce builds commercial freighters in Sturgeon Bay and a Navy frigate in Marinette.
—Rick Barrett, Journal Sentinel, 17 Apr. 2024
Today the octogenarian writer-director is again preparing to compete on the Croisette, this time with his decades-in-the-making Megalopolis, an eon-spanning epic that’s raising alarms over commercial viability.
—Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Apr. 2024
Although those tepid grades aren’t unusual for the horror genre, a debut under $10 million is not a promising sign for its commercial prospects.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 7 Apr. 2024
The State Department regularly issues four-year export licenses to the companies, and provides less public information on commercial orders.
—Edward Wong, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2024
Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 19 Apr. 2024
Hart will continue to develop, star in and produce feature films, television, commercials, and podcasts via Hartbeat.
—Katcy Stephan, Variety, 18 Apr. 2024
The Vault-Tec phone number actually works At the end of Cooper’s Vault-Tec commercial in episode 6, a number appears at the bottom of the screen, encouraging viewers to call and purchase space in the vaults.
—Keith Langston, Peoplemag, 18 Apr. 2024
Well, not to thousands of parents who rallied against the show for blurring the lines between kids show, warfare, and toy commercials.
—Popsci Staff, Popular Science, 10 Apr. 2024
That video essentially served as a commercial for his new champagne line.
—Abe Beame, Rolling Stone, 7 Apr. 2024
In 2010, Vampire Weekend suddenly became the biggest rock band in America, with a chart-topping sophomore album and a song placement in a Honda commercial that could not be forgotten, forgiven or escaped.
—Chris Richards, Washington Post, 5 Apr. 2024
There’s too much physical maintenance that goes with this job to be fighting to do a commercial with me and my fake husband taking a blue pill.
—Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 5 Apr. 2024
The commercial teased that the second act of Renaissance was set for release on March 29.
—Rachel Desantis, Peoplemag, 2 Apr. 2024
Adjective
The railroad said it was obliged under law to ship the vermiculite, which was used in insulation and for other commercial purposes, and that W.R. Grace employees had concealed the health hazards from the railroad.
—Matthew Brown, Fortune, 19 Apr. 2024
That album enjoyed wild critical praise and commercial success, winning Best Contemporary Christian Music Album at the 2014 Grammys, as well as Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year at the GMA Dove Awards (the CCM equivalent of the Grammys).
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 19 Apr. 2024
Pacific sleeper sharks are most often encountered as bycatch in the nets of Alaska’s commercial fisheries, and few survive the trauma, experts say.
—Mark Price, Miami Herald, 18 Apr. 2024
The commercial art world is a masculine environment.
—Michael Snyder, New York Times, 18 Apr. 2024
The company’s Wisconsin workforce builds commercial freighters in Sturgeon Bay and a Navy frigate in Marinette.
—Rick Barrett, Journal Sentinel, 17 Apr. 2024
Today the octogenarian writer-director is again preparing to compete on the Croisette, this time with his decades-in-the-making Megalopolis, an eon-spanning epic that’s raising alarms over commercial viability.
—Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Apr. 2024
Although those tepid grades aren’t unusual for the horror genre, a debut under $10 million is not a promising sign for its commercial prospects.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 7 Apr. 2024
The State Department regularly issues four-year export licenses to the companies, and provides less public information on commercial orders.
—Edward Wong, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2024
Noun
Earlier this week, Wilson, Fischer, Robinson, Baumgartner, Flannery, and Bratton reunited for a six-minute AT&T commercial set in an office.
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 19 Apr. 2024
Hart will continue to develop, star in and produce feature films, television, commercials, and podcasts via Hartbeat.
—Katcy Stephan, Variety, 18 Apr. 2024
The Vault-Tec phone number actually works At the end of Cooper’s Vault-Tec commercial in episode 6, a number appears at the bottom of the screen, encouraging viewers to call and purchase space in the vaults.
—Keith Langston, Peoplemag, 18 Apr. 2024
Well, not to thousands of parents who rallied against the show for blurring the lines between kids show, warfare, and toy commercials.
—Popsci Staff, Popular Science, 10 Apr. 2024
That video essentially served as a commercial for his new champagne line.
—Abe Beame, Rolling Stone, 7 Apr. 2024
In 2010, Vampire Weekend suddenly became the biggest rock band in America, with a chart-topping sophomore album and a song placement in a Honda commercial that could not be forgotten, forgiven or escaped.
—Chris Richards, Washington Post, 5 Apr. 2024
There’s too much physical maintenance that goes with this job to be fighting to do a commercial with me and my fake husband taking a blue pill.
—Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 5 Apr. 2024
The commercial teased that the second act of Renaissance was set for release on March 29.
—Rachel Desantis, Peoplemag, 2 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'commercial.' 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 commercial
Cite this Entry
“Commercial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/commercial. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
commercial
1 of 2 adjective
com·mer·cial
kə-ˈmər-shəl
1
: of or relating to commerce
2
: designed mainly for profit
especially
: designed for mass appeal
the commercial theater
3
: paid for by advertisers
commercial TV
commercial
2 of 2 noun
: an advertisement broadcast on radio or television
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