1
as in marketplace
the buying and selling of goods especially on a large scale and between different places a government agency in charge of regulating interstate commerce

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in interaction
doings between individuals or groups when I was doing outside consulting for the company, I never had much commerce with the in-house staff

Synonyms & Similar Words

3

Synonym Chooser

How is the word commerce distinct from other similar nouns?

Some common synonyms of commerce are business, industry, trade, and traffic. While all these words mean "activity concerned with the supplying and distribution of commodities," commerce and trade imply the exchange and transportation of commodities.

When might business be a better fit than commerce?

The meanings of business and commerce largely overlap; however, business may be an inclusive term but specifically designates the activities of those engaged in the purchase or sale of commodities or in related financial transactions.

Where would industry be a reasonable alternative to commerce?

The words industry and commerce are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, industry applies to the producing of commodities, especially by manufacturing or processing, usually on a large scale.

When would traffic be a good substitute for commerce?

The synonyms traffic and commerce are sometimes interchangeable, but traffic applies to the operation and functioning of public carriers of goods and persons.

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of commerce The unavoidable flows of commerce, capital and communication, per Moffett, were already creating a single North American culture by sheer force of geography. Dónal Gill, The Dial, 28 Oct. 2025 PayPal is the latest company linking with OpenAI on agentic commerce. Meghan Hall, Sourcing Journal, 28 Oct. 2025 This planet also rules over transportation, commerce and one's immediate environment. Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 28 Oct. 2025 Last Friday, Jonathan Rinderknecht, a 29-year-old accused of starting a fire that led to the massive Palisades Fire, pleaded not guilty to charges of destruction of property by means of fire, arson affecting property used in interstate commerce and timber set afire. David Browne, Rolling Stone, 27 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for commerce
Recent Examples of Synonyms for commerce
Noun
  • Democrats insist that any bill to fund the government also address health care costs, namely the soaring health insurance premiums that millions of Americans will face next year under plans offered through the Affordable Care Act marketplace.
    Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 28 Oct. 2025
  • Officials see Cannes 2026 as a chance to deepen international collaboration and position Japanese storytelling more prominently in the global marketplace.
    Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 28 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Her primary areas of study are hunter-gather societies, technological change, and human-material interactions most broadly.
    JSTOR Daily, JSTOR Daily, 28 Oct. 2025
  • There, interactions between streams of liquid iron generate a magnetic field one quintillion times more powerful than that of an ordinary lab magnet (but thousands of times weaker than the Sun’s).
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The World Ultimate Athletics Championships, which debut next September (as a finals-only global, international competition), are excluding men’s triple jump and women’s hammer throw, as well as shot put and discus for both sexes.
    Liam Tharme, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
  • Ironically, stiff upper lips seem to have almost vanished as both sexes burst into tears if anything either lovely or lousy happens to them.
    Jilly Cooper, Vogue, 7 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Employers are also limiting seasonal hiring amid political and trade uncertainty.
    Diane Brady, Fortune, 29 Oct. 2025
  • The two sides, now locked into competitive postures, might also simply grow exasperated with each another and announce new trade restrictions out of the blue.
    Mira Rapp-Hooper, Foreign Affairs, 29 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • With aunts, uncles, cousins, and other relations, my mother and I listened to the prayers.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2025
  • Clear messaging can help relations of all kinds flow smoothly now.
    USA TODAY, USA Today, 25 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • And Japan needs to balance relations with China, its largest economic partner, too.
    Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 28 Oct. 2025
  • With aunts, uncles, cousins, and other relations, my mother and I listened to the prayers.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • According to the Department of Transportation, daylight saving time saves energy, prevents traffic injuries and reduces crime.
    Haadiza Ogwude, Cincinnati Enquirer, 25 Oct. 2025
  • In high-traffic areas like kitchens and bathrooms, cheap hardware wears out fast.
    Lauren Bengtson, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • There are alignments of anemia with some of the early modern symptoms of green sickness—though very few people today are likely to think anemia is caused by a blockage of bodily humors curable by intercourse.
    Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 27 Sep. 2025
  • One 2024 survey found that about 60 percent of college students reported having had vaginal intercourse; a 2022 Pew Research survey reported that more than half of all adults under 30 were in a relationship at the time.
    Molly Langmuir, The Atlantic, 25 Sep. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Commerce.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/commerce. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on commerce

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!