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.

Related Words

Relevance

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
  • Motor vehicle theft, which had spiked in 2022 and 2023 following a social media challenge that helped people exploit a manufacturing issue in some models of Kia and Hyundai vehicles, dropped by almost 23% to the lowest levels in more than 20 years.
    ABC News, ABC News, 14 Aug. 2026
  • As noted by the NCSC, the vulnerability is being exploited when port 5900 is exposed to the Internet.
    Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 14 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Artificial intelligence has enabled the rapid rise of such tools, capable of digitally manipulating photos with little effort.
    Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026
  • In a country where current and former governors command massive grassroots support and are often accused of working with local electoral officials to manipulate election results, analysts say the defections could work in Tinubu’s favor.
    ABC News, ABC News, 19 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Her father is much more laid-back and won’t abuse the privilege.
    Harriette Cole, Mercury News, 14 Aug. 2026
  • That’s fine and good, but whenever police agencies have intrusive tools, some officers will abuse them.
    Steven Greenhut, Oc Register, 14 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • The company announced potential overseas robotaxi ​deployments of more than 4,000 vehicles on Tuesday just as fellow autonomous driving firms fight to commercialize robotaxi services abroad.
    Lily Mae Lazarus, Fortune, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Yet in the global race to develop and commercialize advanced therapies, Europe has been steadily losing ground.
    Kimberley Jane Barnes, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Commodify.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/commodify. Accessed 20 Aug. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

More from Merriam-Webster