commodify

Definition of commodifynext
as in to exploit
disapproving to treat (something that cannot be owned or that everyone has a right to) like a product that can be bought and sold Do we really want to commodify our water supply? I feel like our culture is being commodified.

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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 commodify Or will the troves of data being amassed on nonhuman animals be used to further commodify and objectify them? — David Gruber, Time, 24 Apr. 2025 Publicis and other advertising firms argue that these new AI tools makes marketing more relevant to customers and less wasteful, but regulators — particularly in Europe — remain wary of systems that commodify vast amounts of personal data. — Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 20 Mar. 2025 If the sole aim of a company is to profit, extraction and exploitation become the norm as businesses seek new resources to commodify. — Aissa Dearing, JSTOR Daily, 9 Jan. 2025 Far from democratizing creativity, these projects frequently centralize authority and commodify the works of individual creators. — Virginie Berger, Forbes, 17 Dec. 2024 See All Example Sentences for commodify
Recent Examples of Synonyms for commodify
Verb
  • The Financial Action Task Force, the global money-laundering watchdog, has warned that criminals exploit citizenship and residency programs to conceal their identities, launder illicit wealth and evade justice.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2026
  • This is the effect astronomers can exploit using HWO to look for signs of an exoplanet’s atmosphere.
    — Phil Plait, Scientific American, 2 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Present-day police work reflects our current economic order by placing a high value on manipulating such immaterialities.
    — Sophie Landres, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
  • According to Treasury, Galeano had been detained in the United States in 2017 on suspicion of manipulating ATMs and was found with drugs and backpacks containing a large amount of cash.
    — Antonio Maria Delgado, Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Berry’s ex-husband Olivier Martinez accused the actor of physically abusing their 12-year-old son last month.
    — Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Blanchard has said her mother abused her for years and forced her to fake serious illnesses.
    — Minyvonne Burke, NBC news, 2 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • As the world scrambles to commercialize safer solid-state batteries and cheaper sodium-ion alternatives, knowing exactly how ions move is everything.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 7 Sep. 2026
  • That’s thanks to educational institutions like the University of Toronto, and public-private research institutes like the Vector Institute, which Hinton co-founded to help commercialize AI breakthroughs.
    — Clare Duffy, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Commodify.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/commodify. Accessed 4 Oct. 2026.

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