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)
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
Devika Krishna Kumar, Fortune, 6 June 2026
All the property in the city, both residential and commercial, is worth about $879 billion in total, according to the most recent data available.
—Chris Isidore, CNN Money, 6 June 2026
Michael Rios, CNN Money, 7 June 2026
Cleverly shot, the film made good use of its taut 74-minute running time (not counting commercials, of course).
—David Morgan, CBS News, 7 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for commercial
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show current usage.
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Adjective
An official familiar with US Central Command operations put the count much higher at nearly 1,000 commercial vessels crossing in and out of the Strait of Hormuz in the last two months, according to a Bloomberg report Friday.
—Devika Krishna Kumar, Fortune, 6 June 2026
All the property in the city, both residential and commercial, is worth about $879 billion in total, according to the most recent data available.
—Chris Isidore, CNN Money, 6 June 2026
Noun
Popularized by a beer commercial during the 1986 World Cup, it’s used to rally on teams with its repetitive (albeit nonsensical) syllables as well as its upbeat ending.
—Michael Rios, CNN Money, 7 June 2026
Cleverly shot, the film made good use of its taut 74-minute running time (not counting commercials, of course).
—David Morgan, CBS News, 7 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for commercial
Cite this Entry
“Commercial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/commercial. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
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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