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 According to the World Gold Council (WGC), funds added another 29 tonnes of the precious commodity last month to take total holdings to 3,182 tonnes. Royston Wild, Forbes, 5 Sep. 2024 Lumber has turned decidedly lower while agricultural commodities, broadly speaking, currently off their lows, are still down substantially this year amid a bumper crop and uncertain demand. Ron Insana, CNBC, 4 Sep. 2024 In that context, omakase (yawn) has become something of a predictable commodity—an all-beige Kardashian home, a Loro Piana cap, a Brioni puffer vest. Caroline Hatchett, Robb Report, 3 Sep. 2024 The big picture: Cotton is a ubiquitous commodity, but cultivating the crop requires enormous amounts of water, not to mention arable land, potent fertilizer and vulnerable farm workers. Alan Neuhauser, Axios, 3 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for commodity 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'commodity.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Dictionary Entries Near commodity

Cite this Entry

“Commodity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/commodity. Accessed 17 Sep. 2024.

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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