by-product
Americannoun
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a secondary or incidental product, as in a process of manufacture.
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the result of another action, often unforeseen or unintended.
noun
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a secondary or incidental product of a manufacturing process
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a side effect
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of by-product
First recorded in 1900–05
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Instead, they are a by-product of the ear's physiological sound amplification process.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 19, 2026
The Fed was moving to counter that slowdown, with any lift to stocks a by-product.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 23, 2026
The majority of the UK's CO2 is imported from Europe but it is often produced as a by-product when companies make fertiliser, which needs natural gas.
From BBC ● Apr. 25, 2026
Existing by-product is already stored in a permanent disposal facility "constructed and managed to ensure the material does not impact on the surrounding environment," the company said.
From Barron's ● Apr. 22, 2026
The yeast eats the sugars in bread dough and, as a by-product, gives off carbon dioxide.
From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan
Countries have been wrestling with what to do with dangerous nuclear by-products since the first plants were built in the 1950s.
From Barron's ● Jun. 1, 2026
She also expects MMG’s copper-production costs to fall thanks to higher prices for its by-products and lower copper-concentrate treatment charges.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 25, 2025
Some studies have also shown that oils heated to above their smoke point release toxic chemical by-products.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2025
Fear and suspicion are, of course, common by-products of war.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2024
But they are still highly radioactive, loaded with radioactive isotopes, the by-products of fission.
From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
