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 of raw material

• potential
• material

Examples of raw material in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples on the Web

To fulfill the order, buy raw materials and meet strict production milestones, the founder must sink a meaningful portion of their remaining cash runway directly into the cost of goods sold (COGS). — Chris Hale, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026

In key sourcing hubs like China, subsidiary teams at PDS like Asia Star connect AI design tools directly to digital raw material markets. — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 12 Aug. 2026

Sixty-four of its cities had been reduced to rubble and ash by incendiary bombs, as a submarine blockade strangled its economy, cutting off food, fuel, and raw materials. — James M. Scott, Time, 10 Aug. 2026

Beyond strengthening supply chain security, this domestic loop insulates manufacturers from international commodity price shocks and significantly cuts the environmental impact of raw material extraction. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 7 Aug. 2026

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