commodity

noun

com·​mod·​i·​ty kə-ˈmä-də-tē How to pronounce commodity (audio)
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

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Month-over-month, commodity import tonnage declined in every category except soybeans, which doubled. Brendan Ahern, Forbes.com, 9 June 2025 During its last earnings, Texas Roadhouse raised guidance on its commodity outlook to about 4%. Natasha Abellard, CNBC, 6 June 2025 Côte d’Ivoire opened West Africa’s first agricultural commodities exchange last week. Paige Bruton, semafor.com, 4 June 2025 Time and again, both parties have reinforced systemic inequality through cuts to housing assistance, erosion of the social safety net, and a growing trend to treat housing as a commodity rather than a public good, the book argues. Ericka Taylor, NPR, 4 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for commodity

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of commodity was in the 15th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Commodity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/commodity. Accessed 14 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

commodity

noun
com·​mod·​i·​ty kə-ˈmäd-ət-ē How to pronounce commodity (audio)
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 How to pronounce commodity (audio)
plural commodities
: a class of economic goods
especially : an item of merchandise (as soybeans) whose price is the basis of futures trading

More from Merriam-Webster on commodity

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