raw material

noun

Synonyms of raw materialnext
: 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

Examples of raw material in a Sentence

His experiences during the war were the raw material for the story.
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.
What is clear is that the raw material capturing one of the most enigmatic, driven and influential athletes of modern times possibly sits on a hard drive somewhere, or maybe in the cloud, waiting — perhaps indefinitely — to be unlocked. Peter Kiefer, HollywoodReporter, 19 Dec. 2025 By keeping raw materials in use for as long as possible, the company aims to reduce resource dependency and environmental impact. Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 16 Dec. 2025 Almost all the world’s coca, the raw material for the drug, is produced in three Latin American countries—Bolivia, Colombia, and Peru—and virtually every other country in the region is a staging ground for smuggling and, increasingly, is a consumer market in its own right. Brian Winter, Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025 The Russian economy is not even a top 10 economy and is highly dependent on revenues from oil, gas, and other raw materials. Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 16 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for raw material

Word History

First Known Use

1612, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of raw material was in 1612

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Raw material.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/raw%20material. Accessed 24 Dec. 2025.

Kids Definition

raw material

noun
: something from which a useful or desirable product can be manufactured or produced
wheat and rye are the raw materials for a flour mill
collect raw material for writing a story

More from Merriam-Webster on raw material

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!