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

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

From Science Daily • Feb. 8, 2026

He thinks every public building should instead house a small data centre, working in a large network with each other where required, and providing heating as a by-product.

From BBC • Jan. 13, 2026

The company said the on-year rise in profitability was due to higher zinc in concentrate sales volumes, a rise in base-metal prices, and by-product revenues combined with significantly lower copper smelter processing charges.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 22, 2025

She and her generation were the first in the history of the world to come of age with the possibility of human extinction as a by-product of human ingenuity.

From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly

Related Words

• outgrowth