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.
China is turning the massive environmental liabilities of its coal-mining history into the raw materials for its next generation of infrastructure. Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 15 June 2026 Verification is increasingly embedded at the raw material stage, often across multiple supplier regions, moving beyond reliance on declarations alone. Alyn Franklin, Forbes.com, 12 June 2026 China's wholesale prices rose at the fastest pace in nearly four years in May, driven by surging raw material costs due to the Iran war and an artificial intelligence investment boom, while consumer inflation came in below estimates. Leonie Kidd, CNBC, 10 June 2026 Electrons pinball across membranes and between compounds to drive molecular turbines that rebuild air and water into sugars to provide the energy and raw materials that cells need to grow. Quanta Magazine, 10 June 2026 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

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Cite this Entry

“Raw material.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/raw%20material. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.

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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