by-product
Americannoun
-
by-products
plural
-
a secondary or incidental product, as in a process of manufacture.
-
the result of another action, often unforeseen or unintended.
noun
-
a secondary or incidental product of a manufacturing process
-
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:
At the $25 million transaction price in Capstone shares, Hutchison calculates that Capstone paid less than a cent per pound for the copper resources alone, excluding by-product credits.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
Instead, they are a by-product of the ear's physiological sound amplification process.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 19, 2026
A key raw material for many of these plastic goods is ethylene, which is derived from naphtha, an oil by-product.
From Barron's ● Jun. 28, 2026
The Fed was moving to counter that slowdown, with any lift to stocks a by-product.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 23, 2026
Despite the charcoal, terra preta is not a by-product of slash-and- burn agriculture.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
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
She also expects MMG’s copper-production costs to fall thanks to higher prices for its by-products and lower copper-concentrate treatment charges.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 25, 2025
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
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.
