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 millC. 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 Manufacturing processes are part of many industries and are comprised of various steps that turn raw materials into finished goods or products. Jon Stojan, USA TODAY, 18 Apr. 2024 But leading powers have still not done nearly enough to prevent disaster, and the scramble for critical raw materials, now at the heart of every great power’s foreign policy, will not help poorer countries pay for the transition. David Lammy, Foreign Affairs, 17 Apr. 2024 Embracing concepts like Extended Producer Responsibility and mass balance accounting will spur the plastics value chain to assume additional financial and operational obligations from raw materials to end-of-life, while incentivizing greater use of recycled plastics. Jim Fitterling, Fortune, 16 Apr. 2024 That would be Nucor, which makes steel with electric furnaces that melt scrap and other raw materials, rather than with the massive blast furnaces used by US Steel and Cleveland Cliffs. Chris Isidore, CNN, 12 Apr. 2024 That’s sent chocolate prices soaring as producers have passed the higher raw material costs on to consumers—and Tony’s hasn’t been spared. Prarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 30 Mar. 2024 Part of the reason for this move away from U.S. shipbuilding was that the raw materials and components needed to build these new ships were no longer produced in the United States, Foroohar noted. Adam Taylor, Washington Post, 28 Mar. 2024 These large areas of space that are full of the raw materials needed to create stars–gas, dust, and energy. Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 11 Apr. 2024 On top of that, the Revive is crafted from a renewable raw material. Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 9 Apr. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'raw material.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1612, in the meaning defined above

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

Dictionary Entries Near raw material

Cite this Entry

“Raw material.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/raw%20material. Accessed 27 Apr. 2024.

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

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