raw material
nounDefinition of raw material
: crude or processed material that can be converted by manufacture, processing, or combination into a new and useful product wheat … is raw material for the flour mill —C. A. Koepke broadly : something with a potential for improvement, development, or elaboration perplexities are often the raw material of discoveries —Agnes M. Clerke
Keep scrolling for more
Examples of raw material in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But supplies of the raw material have been out of balance for several years. — Lydia Mulvany And Lindsey Rupp, latimes.com, "As leather shoes drop out of favor, cattle hides pile up," 12 June 2018 The research looks at different types of shopping bags through all of their life cycles: from the extraction of the raw material needed to make the bag to the way the bags are used and then discarded. — Alessandra Potenza, The Verge, "Are cotton totes better for the Earth than plastic bags? It depends on what you care about," 12 May 2018 The cluster of stars is surrounded by clouds of interstellar gas and dust — the raw materials for the creation of new stars, NASA said. — Erin Kelly, USA TODAY, "NASA releases image of 'celestial fireworks' in honor of Independence Day," 4 July 2018 American recyclables served as the raw material for manufacturing new products. — Author: David Goldstein, Anchorage Daily News, "Cities scramble to rewrite rules on recycling after China restricts ‘foreign garbage’," 3 July 2018 In Guerrero — a hub for cultivation of the opium poppy, the raw material in the production of heroin — 10 candidates for local posts in the rural town of Cutzamala de Pinzon, home to about 5,000 people, have withdrawn from the race. — Patrick J. Mcdonnell, latimes.com, "Slayings of political candidates accelerate in run-up to Mexico election," 27 June 2018 While the accord says the government should co-operate with farmers to replace coca, the raw material for cocaine, with legal crops, Mr Duque wants to return to the practice, ended by Mr Santos, of fumigating coca from the air. — The Economist, "Colombia’s new president will struggle to heal his country’s divisions," 21 June 2018 As Venezuela's bolivar has lost its value, artisans say its worth more as a raw material than as a currency. — Jim Wyss, miamiherald, "Venezuela's currency is worth so little that artisans are making purses out it," 20 June 2018 In soccer’s global order, Africa is seen as a supplier of raw material to be refined and then sold on the international market—or, far more likely, discarded. — Laurent Dubois, The Atlantic, "How Not to Scout for Soccer Talent," 14 June 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'raw material.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
Comments on raw material
What made you want to look up raw material? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Test Your Vocabulary
Name that Food Quiz
-
- Name these cookies!
Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZ
Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZ
Share raw material
Resources for raw material