raw material

noun

: 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

Synonyms

• making
• material
• stuff
• substance
• timber

Examples of raw material in a Sentence

His experiences during the war were the raw material for the story.

Recent Examples on the Web

The company’s mission is simple but bold: convert plastic waste into virgin-quality raw materials without fossil fuels. —Marianne Lehnis, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025

To do this, the United States should continue exporting large numbers of raw materials and industrial inputs, running a surplus that reinforces its position as an upstream supplier in global production chains and a critical partner in China’s industrial ecosystem. —Zongyuan Zoe Liu, Foreign Affairs, 29 Apr. 2025

Strengthening communication with international vendors, especially raw material suppliers, is key for Katherine Tash. —Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 23 Apr. 2025

Few could produce an environment that layers raw materials in a way that feels not only imaginative, but intentional. —Brett Braley, Robb Report, 23 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1612, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for raw material

• arterial
• bacterial
• ethereal
• funereal
• imperial
• sidereal
• venereal
• antibacterial
• biomaterial
• mycobacterial
• cereal
• virial

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