raw material

as in potential
the basic elements from which something can be developed Canada now converts most of its raw materials into manufactured goods such as automobiles and auto parts

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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 raw material During the Industrial Revolution, when vast amounts of raw materials were extracted from the Global South at the same time as efforts emerged to build a railway in what is now called Ghana, the labor needed for such projects was sourced from West Africa. Edna Bonhomme, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2025 That raw material was long thought lost before being rediscovered in National Geographic archives some 50 years later. Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 1 Oct. 2025 What’s more, many of the merchant cargo ships that would normally have transported sugarcane from Hawai’i, the nation’s largest domestic producer of the raw material, had been repurposed into military vessels. Diana Hubbell, Popular Science, 1 Oct. 2025 This regional content requirement allows manufacturers to avoid tariffs while navigating the higher costs imposed on raw materials by the administration’s trade policies. Aliss Higham, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for raw material
Recent Examples of Synonyms for raw material
Noun
  • As a result, a flurry of drinks, vapes, edibles, and smokable buds — many with the potential to get users high — are now widely available on store shelves across Wisconsin.
    Gina Lee Castro, jsonline.com, 3 Oct. 2025
  • If there is a potential for temperatures to fall into these thresholds, a freeze watch may be issued a few days ahead of time.
    CA Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 2 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Its propulsion system uses non-toxic materials, which allows soldiers to handle it safely without protective gear immediately after touchdown.
    Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 4 Oct. 2025
  • Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 4 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Raw material.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/raw%20material. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.

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