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.
social relations, especially the exchange of views, attitudes, etc.
sexual intercourse.
intellectual or spiritual interchange; communion.
Also called Commerce Department. (initial capital letter) the Department of Commerce.
the activity embracing all forms of the purchase and sale of goods and services
social relations and exchange, esp of opinions, attitudes, etc
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.
See trade.
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
Commerce is the exchange of goods and services. It's business. Competition between cities wanting to host the Olympics is fierce because the games increase tourism and commerce. Commerce made its way into English from the Latin word commercium — com-, meaning "together," and -mercium, meaning "merchandise." Business, trade, and retailing are all common synonyms. Commerce doesn't always refer to buying and selling, though, just as the marketplace doesn't always refer to goods and services. Data, information, and opinions, too, can be exchanged and traded, as on the Internet, which is a great place for the commerce of ideas.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The chamber of commerce interim president Eliot Lincoln said he didn't want the minimum wage to be scrapped but believed it could not continue to rise in the way it had in previous years.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
Public prosecutors in America's second biggest city, unhappy about the result, leveled new charges: destruction of property by means of fire and arson affecting property used in interstate commerce.
From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026
Trump is especially interested in Section 301, which is meant to remedy foreign trade practices that are discriminatory, unfair or unreasonable, and that burden U.S. commerce.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
Combined with Russian barrages, these strikes now threaten to halt the sea’s maritime commerce.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
So there it was then, History and Literature enlisted by commerce.
From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy
There were also reports by Canadian media, external that US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, was unhappy with the deal.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
“Our consumers, our manufacturers, our blueberry growers, and more will all continue to pay the price,” Sen. Susan Collins, the Republican from Maine, wrote to the Department of Commerce in December.
From Salon ● Aug. 18, 2026
Gaspar’s contributors in the runoff include billionaire developer Rick Caruso and the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
Therefore, the reported pushback from the Commerce Department “takes a serious long-term threat off the table for Micron, Sandisk and Western Digital,” he told MarketWatch in emailed comments.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 17, 2026
But the next morning, I was waiting outside the Commerce Bank on—I'm not kidding here—Commerce Street when it opened at 10:00.
From "The Wednesday Wars" by Gary D. Schmidt
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
