commercial

American  

[kuh-mur-shuhl] / kəˈmɜr ʃəl /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of commerce.

2. engaged in commerce.

3. prepared, done, or acting with sole or chief emphasis on salability, profit, or success.

   a commercial product; His attitude toward the theater is very commercial.

4. able to yield or make a profit.

   We decided that the small oil well was not commercial.

5. suitable or fit for a wide, popular market.

   Communications satellites are gradually finding a commercial use.

6. suitable for or catering to business rather than private use.

   commercial kitchen design; commercial refrigeration.

7. (of a vehicle or its use)

   1. engaged in transporting passengers or goods for profit.

   2. civilian and public, as distinguished from military or private.

8. not entirely or chemically pure.

   commercial soda.

9. catering especially to traveling salespeople by offering reduced rates, space for exhibiting products, etc..

   a commercial hotel.

10. (in U.S. government grading of beef ) graded between standard and utility.

11. paid for by advertisers.

    commercial television.

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noun

• commercials
  plural

1. Radio and Television. a paid advertisement or promotional announcement.

2. (in U.S. government grading of beef )

   1. a low-quality grade of beef between standard and utility.

   2. a cut of beef of this grade.

3. British Informal. a traveling salesperson.

commercial British  

/ kəˈmɜːʃəl /

adjective

1. of, connected with, or engaged in commerce; mercantile

2. sponsored or paid for by an advertiser

   commercial television

3. having profit as the main aim

   commercial music

4. (of goods, chemicals, etc) of unrefined quality or presentation and produced in bulk for use in industry

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noun

1. a commercially sponsored advertisement on radio or television

Synonym Usage

Commercial, mercantile refer to the activities of business, industry, and trade. Commercial is the broader term, covering all the activities and relationships of industry and trade. In a derogatory sense it may mean such a preoccupation with the affairs of commerce as results in indifference to considerations other than wealth: commercial treaties; a merely commercial viewpoint. Mercantile applies to the purchase and sale of goods, or to the transactions of business: a mercantile house or class.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• anticommercialness
  noun
• commerciality
  noun
• anticommercial
  adjective
• countercommercial
  adjective
• noncommercial
  adjective
• precommercial
  adjective
• procommercial
  adjective
• quasi-commercial
  adjective
• semicommercial
  adjective
• supercommercial
  adjective
• ultracommercial
  adjective
• anticommercially
  adverb
• commercially
  adverb
• noncommercially
  adverb
• quasi-commercially
  adverb
• semicommercially
  adverb
• supercommercially
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• commercials
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of commercial

First recorded in 1680–90; commerce + -ial

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Explanation

Commercial is an adjective describing something with money-making and marketing intentions. If you’re a bit of a book snob, steer clear of commercial fiction, which is written for the widest enjoyment. The adjective commercial first appeared in the 1680’s, long before television commercials, which is probably what you think of when you hear the word. An al was added to commerce, and it meant "pertaining to trade." It wasn’t until the 1870's that commercial meant “done for the sake of financial profit,” and then later in the 1930's, the noun form was refined to describe “an advertisement broadcast on radio or TV.”

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

commercial commercials

Adding that the only note he got from the front office was to use as many clips from the series as possible, Yagher didn’t want to make the video look like a big commercial.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026

Former executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward angered supporters in 2018 when he said: "Playing performance doesn't really have a meaningful impact on what we can do on the commercial side of the business."

From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026

Corruption can take many forms, from simple bribery to complex networks of exchanges of money, commercial concessions, and political favors.

From Slate ● Oct. 30, 2026

Dozens of critically endangered tortoises were sent by a German commercial breeder to a defunct zoo in Togo, then to Belgium before arriving in India.

From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026

If they roamed the halls they might be mistaken, just, for some low-level commercial bankers at Wells Fargo, or flunkies at mortgage lenders, such as Option One: nine-to-fivers.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

He also voiced a host of TV commercials both in Britain and the USA.

From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026

The big, brand-building car and truck commercials that used to define traditional TV are becoming fewer and further between, the WSJ Leadership Institute’s Patrick Coffee reports.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026

"Living in Kansas, just next to Missouri, we get everybody's commercials for both states."

From Barron's ● Oct. 27, 2026

It was inside that kitchen that the boxing champion filmed commercials promoting his namesake grill, the kitchen appliance that helped turn him into a household name beyond the world of sports.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 21, 2026

“I don’t think he’s going to be in any State Farm commercials yet, but give him time!”

From "Here to Stay" by Sara Farizan

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Related Words

• economic
• financial
• monetary
• profit-making
• profitable
• wholesale

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