by-product

American  

[bahy-prod-uhkt] / ˈbaɪˌprɒd əkt /

noun

1. a secondary or incidental product, as in a process of manufacture.

2. the result of another action, often unforeseen or unintended.

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by-product British  

noun

1. a secondary or incidental product of a manufacturing process

2. a side effect

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by-product Scientific  

/ bī′prŏd′əkt /

1. Something produced in the process of making something else. When plants produce carbohydrates by photosynthesis, oxygen is released as a by-product. Asphalt and paraffin are by-products of the process of refining crude oil into gasoline.

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Etymology

Origin of by-product

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

By product, da Vinci procedures grew by roughly 16%, while Ion procedures by 39%.

From Barron's • Apr. 21, 2026

By product category, Japan imported food, while exporting autos, auto parts and electrical machinery.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 16, 2024

By product category, auto exports zoomed 40.9%, while those of semiconductors rose 8.1%, according to Finance Ministry data.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 19, 2023

By product, exports of semiconductors grew 0.8% and petroleum products surged 94.5%, but those of cars, automobile parts and wireless communication devices fell 35.6%, 28.8% and 27.5%, respectively.

From Reuters • Jun. 13, 2022

By product from his lecture was the book With Lawrence in Arabia, the first of a spate of works bearing his name.

From Time Magazine Archive

Related Words

• outgrowth