by-product
Americannoun
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by-products
plural
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a secondary or incidental product, as in a process of manufacture.
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the result of another action, often unforeseen or unintended.
noun
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a secondary or incidental product of a manufacturing process
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a side effect
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of by-product
First recorded in 1900–05
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The company expects its full-year gold by-product costs applicable to sales to be $925 per ounce.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
There’s even a computer-generated Elon, a by-product of Gibney not securing a face-to-face interview with the tycoon himself.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026
It remains to be seen how long the price of fertiliser, a by-product of oil, will take to come down.
From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2026
What may look like a fossil human tooth-picking groove could just as easily be the by-product of everyday chewing.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 8, 2026
It’s a by-product of the famous superstition about splitting an infinitive.
From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner
Countries have been wrestling with what to do with dangerous nuclear by-products since the first plants were built in the 1950s.
From Barron's ● Jun. 1, 2026
The company’s strong performance in by-products such as lead and zinc was driven by strong grades at its Fresnillo mine in Mexico, they say.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 22, 2026
Some studies have also shown that oils heated to above their smoke point release toxic chemical by-products.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2025
Fear and suspicion are, of course, common by-products of war.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2024
There were less objectionable ways to produce oil by-products.
From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer
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