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.
Grocery stores operate on the thinnest of margins and chic or attractive has nothing to do with marketing commodities like eggs and bread. Greg Petro, Forbes.com, 19 June 2025 Mexican cartels treat illicit tobacco and vapes as low-risk, high-margin cash commodities that bankroll violence. Edgar Domenech, Sun Sentinel, 18 June 2025 What needs to happen to turn the nightcrawler—the same banal creature found in gardens and on flooded sidewalks across the continent—into a valuable commodity? . . . Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 18 June 2025 The Federal Reserve looks set to maintain its pause on interest rate cuts at its meeting this week amid President Trump’s ongoing trade war and geopolitical tensions that are roiling commodity markets. Tobias Burns, The Hill, 17 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 30 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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