commerce

¹

[kom-ers]

noun

1. 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.

2. social relations, especially the exchange of views, attitudes, etc.

3. sexual intercourse.

4. intellectual or spiritual interchange; communion.

5. Also called Commerce Department. (initial capital letter),  the Department of Commerce.

Commerce

²

[kom-ers]

noun

1. a town in SW California.

commerce

/ ˈkɒmɜːs /

noun

1. the activity embracing all forms of the purchase and sale of goods and services

2. social relations and exchange, esp of opinions, attitudes, etc

Word History and Origins

Origin of commerce¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of commerce¹

C16: from Latin commercium trade, from commercārī, from mercārī to trade, from merx merchandise

Synonym Study

See trade.

Example Sentences

China's commerce ministry said Saturday it is considering exempting some Nexperia chips from an export ban imposed over a row with Dutch officials that has alarmed European businesses.

Read more on Barron's

"We will comprehensively consider the actual situation of enterprises and grant exemptions to exports that meet the criteria," a Chinese commerce ministry spokesperson said in a statement.

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The Valley Plaza, which opened in 1951, was among the first and largest open-air shopping malls on the West Coast, and a major center of commerce.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The commerce ministry also has warned businesses against price gouging and set up a hotline for complaints.

Read more on Barron's

Businesses, meanwhile, are hunkering down for more rocky times ahead for U.S.-China commerce.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• business 
• economics 
• exchange 
• industry 
• marketing 
• retailing 
• trade 
• traffic 

When To Use

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.