manufacture

American  

[man-yuh-fak-cher, man-uh-] / ˌmæn jəˈfæk tʃər, ˌmæn ə- /

noun

• manufactures
  plural

1. the making of goods or wares by manual labor or by machinery, especially on a large scale.

   the manufacture of television sets.

2. the making or producing of anything; generation.

   the manufacture of body cells.

3. the thing or material manufactured; product.

   Plastic is an important manufacture.

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verb (used with object)

• manufactures,
  present (3rd person singular)
• manufactured,
  past participle,  past
• manufacturing
  present participle

1. to make or produce by hand or machinery, especially on a large scale.

   Synonyms:

   build

2. to work up (material) into form for use.

   to manufacture cotton.

3. to invent fictitiously; fabricate; concoct.

   to manufacture an account of the incident.

4. to produce in a mechanical way without inspiration or originality.

   to manufacture a daily quota of poetry.

manufacture British  

/ ˌmænjʊˈfæktʃə /

verb

1. to process or make (a product) from a raw material, esp as a large-scale operation using machinery

2. (tr) to invent or concoct

   to manufacture an excuse

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noun

1. the production of goods, esp by industrial processes

2. a manufactured product

3. the creation or production of anything

Synonym Usage

Manufacture, assemble, fabricate apply to processes in industry. Manufacture, originally to make by hand, now means to make by machine or by industrial process: to manufacture rubber tires. To assemble is to fit together the manufactured parts of something mechanical: to assemble an automobile. To fabricate is to construct or build by fitting standardized parts together: to fabricate houses. See also make ¹.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• manufacturing
  noun
• nonmanufacture
  noun
• nonmanufacturing
  noun
• semimanufacturing
  noun
• premanufacture
  verb (used with object)
• manufacturable
  adjective
• manufactural
  adjective
• nonmanufactured
  adjective
• semimanufactured
  adjective
• unmanufacturable
  adjective
• unmanufactured
  adjective
• well-manufactured
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• manufactures
  plural

Participles

• manufacturing
  present
• manufactured
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• manufacture
  simple
• manufactures
  simple
• have manufactured
  perfect
• has manufactured
  perfect
• am manufacturing
  progressive
• are manufacturing
  progressive
• is manufacturing
  progressive
• have been manufacturing
  perfect progressive
• has been manufacturing
  perfect progressive

Past

• manufactured
  simple
• had manufactured
  perfect
• was manufacturing
  progressive
• were manufacturing
  progressive
• had been manufacturing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will manufacture
  simple
• will have manufactured
  perfect
• will be manufacturing
  progressive
• will have been manufacturing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of manufacture

First recorded in 1560–70; from Middle French manufacture “the action or process of making; a factory,” equivalent to Latin manū “by hand”, ablative singular of manus “hand” + Middle French facture “making, construction” (from Late Latin factūra “action of creating, a creation, piece of handiwork,” from Latin factūra “act of fashioning; metal working,” a derivative of facere “to make, do”); the verb is derivative of the noun

Explanation

To manufacture something, is to make or construct it, usually for industry and sale. Unless you make all your own clothes, a company probably had to manufacture them. Manufacture is generally associated with industry and factories. Henry Ford, for instance, revolutionized industry by using assembly lines to manufacture Model Ts. But manufacture can also be used for the natural word, like bees that manufacture honey. Occasionally it use used more generally to mean to construct by putting parts together. And in a pinch, you can manufacture — or make — the truth, which is a creative way to say “lie.”

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

manufacture manufactures manufactured manufacturing

PHAs serve as microbial energy and carbon reserves, but they are also used to manufacture biodegradable plastics.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 17, 2026

Concerns have been compounded by the decision to manufacture the upcoming SUV -- developed in partnership with Leapmotor -- in Zaragoza, Spain, rather than in Ruesselsheim.

From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026

This will also back new factories to manufacture the AI chips needed to power these systems.

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

GM has made a strategic investment in Peak Energy, and plans to design and manufacture custom sodium-ion batteries.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

The kefta was of Kerch manufacture, not Ravkan—a costume, not a uniform.

From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo

Bream said the Modesto facility, which finishes and manufactures several types of beverage closures, will remain in operation.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

The firm designs, manufactures, launches, and operates products and services built on cutting-edge technologies, including the rockets and spacecraft.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 6, 2026

It has spun off and listed its Aumovio automotive unit, sold its original equipment solutions business and agreed to sell its ContiTech unit that manufactures products like conveyer belts and materials for vehicle interiors.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026

Strong demand for AI systems pushed up sales forecasts and drove a gain in second-quarter profits Wednesday at Dutch tech giant ASML, which manufactures chip-making machines to power the tech industry.

From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026

“Outside peoples already concede our material greatness and that we are well nigh supreme in manufactures and commerce,” he wrote.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

They sold gold, ivory and ultimately enslaved Africans, often those captured in local conflicts, in exchange for the manufactured goods brought mainly by the British and Dutch, including textiles, alcohol and guns.

From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026

The new flu vaccine, manufactured by Moderna, is called mFLUSIVA and made for adults age 50 and up.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

Shovel in the fact that some conspiracy theories have turned out to be at least semi-plausible—cue the drip-drip of UFO disclosures—and you have fertile soil for sprawling kudzu-like growth in the business of manufactured truth.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

The FDA also rejected several drugs developed by other companies that are manufactured at the facility, corporate filings show.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026

“The Stormbreaker is being manufactured by Sayle Enterprises,” Mrs. Jones said.

From "Stormbreaker" by Anthony Horowitz

They adapt the material to a lithography-based manufacturing method suitable for making devices on wafers.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 17, 2026

Less than two months later, says Egyed, Musk announced he wanted to put a semiconductor manufacturing facility in the area—and not just any facility, but the largest factory ever built.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 17, 2026

Channeling her knowledge of materials, she proposed a manufacturing method that cut the time needed to make a drone wing from six days to just 2½ hours.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026

The initiative would focus on manufacturing, agriculture, technology and defence, as well as India's "soft power" through yoga, tourism and handicrafts.

From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026

Since the Research Corporation already held his patent on the cyclotron, which was the only practical apparatus for manufacturing radioactive substances, “therefore it is not necessary to have a patent on the substances themselves.”

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

Related Words

• assemble
• complete
• construct
• create
• fabricate
• mass-produce
• synthesize