economics

noun

eco·​nom·​ics ˌe-kə-ˈnä-miks  ˌē-kə- 

plural in form but singular or plural in construction

1

a

: a social science concerned chiefly with description and analysis of the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services

b

: economic theory, principles, or practices

sound economics

2

: economic aspect or significance

the economics of building a new stadium

3

: economic conditions

current economics

Examples of economics in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Torsten Sløk, chief economist at Apollo Global Management, said forecasts of an imminent slowdown have been repeatedly wrong, and the economics profession should start grappling with its track record of misjudgments. —Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2025

While not all of the slowdown in box production can be attributable to falling demand for goods, the slump is present in other areas of the freight economy, said Adam Josephson, a longtime paper and packaging sell-side analyst who now authors an economics newsletter. —Alicia Wallace, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2025

On Monday afternoon, a few hours before the first ferocious attacks of Israel’s ground offensive in Gaza City made buildings tremble as far away as Tel Aviv, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was in Jerusalem for an economics conference. —Ruth Margalit, New Yorker, 18 Sep. 2025

But rate cuts might not be able to help ongoing structural changes in the labor market, like the risk of artificial intelligence displacing workers, noted Stefania Albanesi, an economics professor at the University of Miami and a former researcher at the Fed’s Minneapolis branch. —Max Klaver, Miami Herald, 18 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

earlier oeconomicks "science or art of managing a household" from oeconomick, economike in same sense (Middle English iconomique, borrowed from Middle French yconomique, borrowed from Medieval Latin economica, feminine singular or neuter plural of oeconomicus "relating to the management of a household") + -ics — more at economic

Note: Compare ancient Greek oikonomikḗ "practice of household, administrative or economic management," oikonomiká (neuter plural) "administrative affairs."

First Known Use

1792, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing economics

• geo-economics
• home economics
• new economics
• supply-side economics

Rhymes for economics

• bionomics
• ergonomics
• atomics
• bombyx
• comics
• macroeconomics
• microeconomics

Kids Definition

economics

singular or plural noun

ec·​o·​nom·​ics

ˌek-ə-ˈnäm-iks,

ˌē-kə-

1

: a social science concerned with description and analysis of the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services

2

: financial considerations

the economics of buying a house

economist

i-ˈkän-ə-məst

noun