commerce

¹

[kom-ers]

noun

1. 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.

2. social relations, especially the exchange of views, attitudes, etc.

3. sexual intercourse.

4. intellectual or spiritual interchange; communion.

5. Also called Commerce Department. (initial capital letter),  the Department of Commerce.

Commerce

²

[kom-ers]

noun

1. a town in SW California.

commerce

/ ˈkɒmɜːs /

noun

1. the activity embracing all forms of the purchase and sale of goods and services

2. social relations and exchange, esp of opinions, attitudes, etc

Word History and Origins

Origin of commerce¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of commerce¹

C16: from Latin commercium trade, from commercārī, from mercārī to trade, from merx merchandise

Synonym Study

See trade.

Example Sentences

“There’s a funny moment when you realize that as an activist: The off-ramp out of extreme poverty is, ugh, commerce, it’s entrepreneurial capitalism.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Similarly, as e‑commerce took off, internet‑enabled logistics rewired planning roles—logisticians, transportation and distribution managers—and unlocked a surge in last‑mile work.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

That should help underpin regional commerce and security in the shadow of China.

Read more on Barron's

Two days later, Kabul sent its commerce and industry minister to New Delhi.

Read more on Barron's

In response, a spokesman said that the West's "anti-Russian sanctions" were "illegitimate" and "undermine established principles of global commerce".

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• business 
• economics 
• exchange 
• industry 
• marketing 
• retailing 
• trade 
• traffic 

When To Use

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.