an interchange of goods or commodities, especially on a large scale between different countries foreign commerce or between different parts of the same country domestic commerce; trade; business.
social relations, especially the exchange of views, attitudes, etc.
sexual intercourse.
intellectual or spiritual interchange; communion.
Also called Commerce Department. (initial capital letter) the Department of Commerce.
the activity embracing all forms of the purchase and sale of goods and services
social relations and exchange, esp of opinions, attitudes, etc
What does commerce mean? Commerce refers to the buying and selling of goods and products, especially on a large scale, as in New York City is a major center of commerce where billions of dollars are exchanged every day. The word commerce is almost always used to refer to business, trade, and the movement of things that are being bought and sold. Commerce can refer to either the exchange of goods between countries (international or foreign commerce) or the exchange that occurs within one country (domestic commerce). Much less frequently, commerce is used to mean an exchanging of ideas or views as part of social interaction, as in The club promoted intellectual commerce among the students. Commerce is similar to the word trade and the two words can generally be used as synonyms. Trade describes a more general exchange of goods and money, while commerce describes large-scale trading, such as at an interstate or international level, which requires large numbers of trucks, planes, and other delivery methods. Example: After the war, the small country experienced an increase in commerce with neighboring countries because transporting products was safe again.
See trade.
First recorded in 1530–40; from Middle French, from Latin commercium, from commerc(ārī) “to trade together” (from com- com- + mercārī “to buy, deal, trade,” verb derivative of merc-, stem of merx “commodity, goods, merchandise”) + -ium -ium
Commerce is the exchange of goods and services. It's business. Competition between cities wanting to host the Olympics is fierce because the games increase tourism and commerce. Commerce made its way into English from the Latin word commercium — com-, meaning "together," and -mercium, meaning "merchandise." Business, trade, and retailing are all common synonyms. Commerce doesn't always refer to buying and selling, though, just as the marketplace doesn't always refer to goods and services. Data, information, and opinions, too, can be exchanged and traded, as on the Internet, which is a great place for the commerce of ideas.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Trump is especially interested in Section 301, which is meant to remedy foreign trade practices that are discriminatory, unfair or unreasonable, and that burden U.S. commerce.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
Swift, a Belgium-based messaging system used by thousands of banks worldwide, is the lifeblood for much of international commerce.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026
Mirvat Toutou, also appointed by Sharaa, has a degree in commerce and economics and was a teacher for 13 years in Idlib, in the country's northwest.
From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026
Live app-based commerce wasn’t common in the U.S. but had already found momentum in China thanks to the growth of platforms such as Alibaba’s Taobao Live.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
The structure of their societies, the management of their industry, agriculture, commerce, the size of their settlements, the subjects of their stories, everything is shaped to fit the somer-kemmer cycle.
From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who could possibly overturn the commission’s decision on the grounds of national interest or national security.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
Total US retail sales were down 0.6 percent in July from the previous month, at $763.6 billion, said the Department of Commerce.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
Kate Shoesmith, director of policy at the British Chambers of Commerce, said it would be "a further hammer blow" for companies that are struggling.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
The Commerce Department and its statistical agency, the Bureau of Economic Analysis, have “an obligation to explain to the public” the reasoning and process behind the decisions, Warren wrote.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
“Any one a-them names on a postmark would bore me to death, jest like Commerce does. They say a Englishman come th’ew Harmony Grove in nineteen aught-one, sellin’ silverware.
From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns
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.
