commodity
noun
com·mod·i·ty
kə-ˈmä-də-tē 
plural commodities
1
: an economic good: such as
a
: a product of agriculture or mining
agricultural commodities like grain and corn
b
: an article of commerce especially when delivered for shipment
reported the damaged commodities to officials
c
: a mass-produced unspecialized product
commodity chemicals
commodity memory chips
2
b
: convenience, advantage
… the many commodities incidental to the life of a public office …—
Charles Lamb
Charles Lamb3
: a good or service whose wide availability typically leads to smaller profit margins and diminishes the importance of factors (such as brand name) other than price
4
: one that is subject to ready exchange or exploitation within a market
… stars as individuals and as commodities of the film industry.—Film Quarterly
Film QuarterlySynonyms
Examples of commodity in a Sentence
agricultural commodities like grain and corn
Oil is a commodity in high demand.
Patience is a rare commodity.
Recent Examples on the Web
The officer referred him and his truck to secondary inspection for an X-ray examination of the truck and agricultural inspection of his commodity, which was fresh produce from Canada.
—Christina Hall, Detroit Free Press, 10 Aug. 2024
Organofluorine compounds—the umbrella term for forever chemicals—are everywhere: not just in clothing or other consumable commodities, but in the ocean, the soil, even the human body.
—Alexandra Harrell, Sourcing Journal, 9 Aug. 2024
The selloff across commodities tapered a bit after fresh data on Monday showed the US services sector expanded in July after contracting a month earlier by the most in four years.
—Mark Burton, Fortune, 5 Aug. 2024
Crop insurance policies mainly cover conventional commodity crops such as corn, soybeans, cotton and wheat.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 30 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for commodity 
Christina Hall, Detroit Free Press, 10 Aug. 2024
Organofluorine compounds—the umbrella term for forever chemicals—are everywhere: not just in clothing or other consumable commodities, but in the ocean, the soil, even the human body.
—Alexandra Harrell, Sourcing Journal, 9 Aug. 2024
The selloff across commodities tapered a bit after fresh data on Monday showed the US services sector expanded in July after contracting a month earlier by the most in four years.
—Mark Burton, Fortune, 5 Aug. 2024
Crop insurance policies mainly cover conventional commodity crops such as corn, soybeans, cotton and wheat.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 30 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for commodity
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'commodity.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Commodity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/commodity. Accessed 19 Aug. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
commodity
noun
com·mod·i·ty
kə-ˈmäd-ət-ē
plural commodities
1
: a product of agriculture or mining
2
: an article that is bought and sold in commerce
Legal Definition
commodity
noun
com·mod·i·ty
kə-ˈmä-də-tē
plural commodities
: a class of economic goods
especially
: an item of merchandise (as soybeans) whose price is the basis of futures trading
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