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 of commodity

• 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

Dairy farmers sell into commodity markets where prices are largely determined by global supply and demand, while essential inputs such as feed, fuel and fertilizer costs are driven by many of those same external forces. — Jeff Tkach, Forbes.com, 30 Oct. 2026

California is the nation’s largest agricultural state, with a $64 billion industry producing more than 400 commodities. — Lizzie Kane, Sacbee.com, 30 Oct. 2026

Europe bets on unseasonable warmth Peter Taylor, head of commodity desk strategy at Macquarie, said Europe is essentially betting on a warm winter, a stance tied to the El Niño climate event. — Hugh Leask, CNBC, 30 Oct. 2026

Mongolia is a major supplier of coal and copper to China, the world’s largest consumer of both commodities. — ABC News, 29 Oct. 2026

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