commerce

[ kom-ers ]

/ ˈkɒm ərs /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR commerce ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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.

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

Nearby words

Origin of commerce

1530–40; < Middle French < Latin commercium, equivalent to commerc(ārī) to trade together (com- com- + mercārī to buy, deal, derivative of merc-, stem of merx goods) + -ium -ium

Synonym study

1. See trade.

Commerce

[ kom-ers ]

/ ˈkɒm ərs /

noun

a town in SW California.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for commerce

This is the Mexico that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and most major U.S. corporations, are eager to call amigo.
Why Mexicans Are Enraged by Obama’s Big Tuesday Meeting|Ruben Navarrette Jr.|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
“If Charleston harbor needs improvement, let the commerce of Charleston bear the burden,” he said.
Steve Scalise Shows There’s a Fine Line Between Confederate & Southern|Lloyd Green|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Spar has a new book titled The Baby Business: How Money, Science and Politics Drive the Commerce of Conception.
Want Blue Eyes With That Baby?: The Strange New World of Human Reproduction|Eleanor Clift|November 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
E.g., the U.S. Chamber of Commerce spent $136.3 million lobbying in 2012 and $74.7 million in 2013.
Up to a Point: In Defense of Lobbyists|P. J. O’Rourke|October 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Following the collapse of the Roman Empire, all of Europe faltered as trade and commerce dried up.
How the Vikings Saved Europe and Got a Terrible Reputation|William O’Connor|September 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Commerce, however, fixed Kinshassa as its base of operation, and its expansion has been astonishing for that part of the world.
An African Adventure|Isaac F. Marcosson
Our commerce has unquestionably been subject to great embarrassment, vexation, and plunder, from the belligerents of Europe.
Abridgement of the Debates of Congress, from 1789 to 1856 (4 of 16 vol.)|Various
This is intensified when agriculture and commerce take the place of earlier modes of life.
Ethics|John Dewey and James Hayden Tufts
Following the ideas of Rousseau, there could be but little room for learning, commerce, or navigation.
Harmonies of Political Economy|Frdric Bastiat
To go forth and be great in commerce by deserting his creed would have been nothing to him.
Nina Balatka|Anthony Trollope

British Dictionary definitions for commerce

commerce

/ (ˈkɒmɜːs) /

noun

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

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

Word Origin for commerce

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for commerce

commerce

1530s, from Middle French commerce (14c.), from Latin commercium "trade, trafficking," from com- "together" (see com-) + merx (genitive mercis) "merchandise" (see market (n.)).

commerce

noun

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Nearby words

Origin of commerce

Synonym study

Commerce

noun

Examples from the Web for commerce

commerce

noun

Word Origin for commerce

commerce