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

Through it all, however, West struggled with depression and a sense of self-loathing, and had trouble with intimacy, much of it a by-product of a hardscrabble childhood in West Virginia with a domineering father.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2026

A natural by-product is when their chosen club is performing well they feel an element of success in their own lives.

From BBC • Mar. 29, 2026

This underused by-product has shown strong potential for enriching bread with protein, fiber, and antioxidant compounds.

From Science Daily • Feb. 8, 2026

“Belief in a novel is, for me, a by-product of a certain kind of sentence,” Smith observes.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 28, 2025

At first, she thought it was a trick of her imagination, a by-product of the pain still throbbing in her head, but...no, this light was real.

From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray

Related Words

• outgrowth