durable goods

American  

plural noun

1. goods, as household appliances, machinery, or sports equipment, that are not consumed or destroyed in use and can be used for a period of time, usually three or more years.

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durable goods British  

plural noun

1. Also called: durables.  goods, such as most producer goods and some consumer goods, that require infrequent replacement. Compare disposable goods , perishables

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durable goods Cultural  

1. Manufactured products capable of long utility, such as refrigerators and automobiles.

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Etymology

Origin of durable goods

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

So-called core orders for durable goods rose 0.6% in February, pushing the year-over-year increase up to 5.1%.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 7, 2026

Demand for U.S. durable goods declined in February from January, according to delayed data published by the Commerce Department Tuesday.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 7, 2026

The Census Bureau releases the durable goods report for February.

From Barron's • Apr. 5, 2026

Investors wanting to anticipate major economic shifts or downturns should not focus on the monthly data or even GDP releases, but focus on a handful of components, such as residential investment and durable goods.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 18, 2026

You have made our book storage four times as costly and unwieldy as it ought to be; but you have done worse than this, you have sold us perishable instead of durable goods.

From The Booklover and His Books by Koopman, Harry Lyman

Related Words

• consumer durables
• consumer goods