manufacture

noun man·u·fac·ture \ ˌman-yə-ˈfak-chər , ˌma-nə- \

Updated on: 21 May 2018

1 : something made from raw materials by hand or by machinery

imports most manufactures used by consumers
—D. L. Cohn

2 a : the process of making wares by hand or by machinery especially when carried on systematically with division of labor

the manufacture of automobiles

b : a productive industry using mechanical power and machinery

3 : the act or process of producing something

the manufacture of blood goes on constantly in the human body
—Morris Fishbein

See manufacture defined for English-language learners

See manufacture defined for kids

Examples of manufacture in a Sentence

materials used in the manufacture of cars
We're developing new methods of paper manufacture.

Recent Examples of manufacture from the Web

An athletic, competitive presence on the inside, Bagley was one of college basketball’s most productive players, utilizing his athletic mismatch to score in the paint and manufacture easy baskets on the offensive glass at an elite clip.

— khadrice rollins, SI.com, "NBA Draft Prospects 2018: Marvin Bagley III Highlight Video, Scouting Report, Stats," 15 May 2018
Naphthalene is obtained from coal tar or petroleum distillation and is used in the manufacture of plastics and is found in mothballs, according to the website PubChem.

— justin jouvenal, Washington Post, "Police investigate whether father gave children poisoned doughnuts to take to his estranged wife," 10 May 2018
The big contributors were packaging materials like polyethylene and polypropylene, paints, nylon, polyester, and cellulose acetate, primarily used in the manufacture of cigarette filters.

— david grossman, Popular Mechanics, "Researchers Discover Record Levels of Plastic in the Arctic Ocean," 24 Apr. 2018
The competition focuses on exposing students to a businesslike environment of the design and manufacture of a production vehicle.

— ben flanagan, AL.com, "IndyCar Series champ James Hinchcliffe test drives Crimson Racing team's new race car," 19 Apr. 2018
The idea was, basically, to instill in workers the will to prevent problems during design and manufacture rather than go back and fix them later.

— jessi hempel, WIRED, "Uber's New Direction: Move Slow and Test Things," 19 Apr. 2018
Baumann said the outbreak is a sign of the lack of oversight in the manufacture and packaging of the substances.

— elvia malagon, chicagotribune.com, "Bleeding from synthetic pot outbreak unusual, experts say," 6 Apr. 2018
The rules also would have put the United States, historically a laggard in fuel economy regulations, at the forefront worldwide in the manufacture of electric and highly fuel efficient vehicles.

— New York Times, "E.P.A. Prepares to Roll Back Rules Requiring Cars to Be Cleaner and More Efficient," 29 Mar. 2018
Breitling is a Swiss watchmaker that specializes in the manufacture of luxury watches.

— william axford, Houston Chronicle, "Kate Upton, Justin Verlander, Lance McCullers Jr. and Dallas Keuchel slay the red carpet," 26 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'manufacture.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of manufacture

Middle French, from Medieval Latin manufactura, from Latin manu factus, literally, made by hand

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1567

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

Other Business Terms

amortize, caveat emptor, clearinghouse, divest, due diligence, emolument, green-collar, marque, overhead, perquisite

manufacture

verb

manufactured; manufacturing \-ˈfak-chə-riŋ, -ˈfak-shriŋ\

transitive verb

1 : to make into a product suitable for use

2 a : to make from raw materials by hand or by machinery

b : to produce according to an organized plan and with division of labor

c : prefabricate

a manufactured home

3 : invent, fabricate

known to manufacture evidence

4 : to produce as if by manufacturing : create

writers who manufacture stories for television

intransitive verb

: to engage in manufacture

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manufacturability

\-ˌfak-chə-rə-ˈbi-lə-tē, -ˌfak-shrə-ˈbi-\ noun

—

manufacturable

\-ˈfak-chə-rə-bəl, -ˈfak-shrə-bəl\ adjective

—

manufacturing

noun

See manufacture defined for English-language learners

Examples of manufacture in a Sentence

materials used in manufacturing cars
a company that manufactures wool and cotton clothing

Recent Examples of manufacture from the Web

But the effort, known as Project Titan, was suddenly scaled back, with Apple apparently deciding not to manufacture its own vehicles.

— NBC News, "Is Apple getting ready to reveal its secret car?," 17 May 2018
Primary microplastics include resin pellets that are melted down to manufacture plastic products—also known as nurdles—and microbeads added to products such as cosmetics, soaps, and toothpaste as abrasives.

— National Geographic, "Plastics Explained, From A to Z," 16 May 2018
Wages have gone up in Chinese apparel factories—and while Nike and Adidas could continue to manufacture much of their apparel in China, the siren call of cheaper costs elsewhere has made countries like Vietnam more attractive.

— cam wolf, GQ, "Nike and Adidas Are Moving Away from Manufacturing in China," 16 May 2018
By simplifying to a single display size (50.5-inch) with the Surface Hub 2, the hardware should be easier to manufacture.

— tom warren, The Verge, "Microsoft’s vision of the future becomes reality," 15 May 2018
Swansea seem unlikely to sign Allen, after they too were relegated to the Championship after failing to manufacture the correct set of final day results.

— SI.com, "Surprising Contract Clause Allows Stoke Midfielder to Join Top 6 Team for Bargain Fee," 13 May 2018
Charles and Andrea Laverty, both 61, and Thomas Laverty, 38, of Clinton, were each charged with conspiracy to manufacture more than 1,000 marijuana plants and conspiracy to launder money, according to a statement from the US Attorney’s office.

— alana levene, BostonGlobe.com, "Family indicted for using their Millbury plumbing business to cover marijuana operation," 11 May 2018
Stimulating a cell to manufacture the nanobody caused the protein target to disappear in as little as 3 hours, the researchers reported in 2012.

— mitch leslie, Science | AAAS, "Mini-antibodies discovered in sharks and camels could lead to drugs for cancer and other diseases," 10 May 2018
And other companies acquired the rights to manufacture Stab-Lok products under different names.

— elisabeth leamy, ajc, "This circuit breaker is still in homes despite safety concerns," 10 May 2018

Origin and Etymology of manufacture

see ¹manufacture

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1648

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

manufacture Synonyms

Synonyms

fabricate, fashion, form, frame, make, produce;

Near Antonyms

disassemble, dismantle, take apart;

break up, dismember;

flatten, pulverize, raze, ruin, shatter, smash, wreck;

blow up, explode;

craft, handcraft;

hew;

forge, mold, shape;

cobble (together or up), knock out, patch (together), throw up;

prefabricate;

create, invent, mint, originate;

establish, father, institute, organize;

concoct, contrive, cook (up), design, devise, imagine, think (up);

conceive, envisage, picture, visualize;

refashion, remake, remanufacture;

Phrases

put together;

MANUFACTURE Defined for English Language Learners

manufacture

noun

: the process of making products especially with machines in factories

manufacture

verb

: to make (something) usually in large amounts by using machines
: to create (something, such as a false story or explanation) by using your imagination often in order to trick or deceive someone

MANUFACTURE Defined for Kids

manufacture

verb man·u·fac·ture \ ˌman-yə-ˈfak-chər \

manufactured; manufacturing

1 : to make from raw materials by hand or machinery

2 : to create using the imagination often in order to deceive

He manufactures excuses for being absent.

—

manufacturer

noun

Word Root of manufacture

The Latin word facere, meaning “to make” or “to do,” and its form factus give us the roots fic, fact, and fect. Words from the Latin facere have something to do with making or doing something. To manufacture is to make goods. This is often done in a factory. Something difficult is hard to do. Anything effective does what it is meant to do.