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.
With fiber-to-fiber recycling, technology has officially moved from pilot to industrial scale, with chemical recycling processes now breaking down complex blends into high-quality raw materials. Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 22 June 2026 Zimbabwe’s local processing drive is part of a broader trend across the continent to capture more value from raw materials. semafor.com, 22 June 2026 The ceremony took place near the town of La Hormiga which is surrounded by vast fields of coca bushes, the raw material for cocaine that the Border Commandos export. John Otis, NPR, 21 June 2026 Training a frontier model on it was hard and expensive, but the raw material existed before the first engineer showed up. Robert J. Szczerba, Forbes.com, 19 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 23 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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