economics
Americannoun
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(used with a singular verb) the science that deals with the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services, or the material welfare of humankind.
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(used with a plural verb) financial considerations; economically significant aspects.
What are the economics of such a project?
noun
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(functioning as singular) the social science concerned with the production and consumption of goods and services and the analysis of the commercial activities of a society See also macroeconomics microeconomics
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(functioning as plural) financial aspects
the economics of the project are very doubtful
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Economics is sometimes referred to as the “dismal science.”
Economics is generally understood to concern behavior that, given the scarcity of means, arises to achieve certain ends. When scarcity ceases, conventional economic theory may no longer be applicable. (See affluent society.)
Etymology
Origin of economics
Explanation
Economics studies the production, distribution and consumption of goods and services and their management. People get jobs, they make things, they sell those things, they get paid, they use that money to buy other things. Economics makes the world go round. Economics is a branch of social science. Like dueling political parties, economists also support different theories about how to best regulate the economy with government policies. Since it relates to the financial health of countries and how countries interact through trade, the relevance of economics is enormous and often the subject of the evening news. "Home Economics" is the somewhat antiquated yet still relevant notion of the management of money, food, laundry, and cleaning that keep a house running smoothly.
Vocabulary lists containing economics
Economics
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The Enlightenment
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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.
Four years later she went to Oxford University in the UK, where she studied philosophy, politics and economics.
From BBC • May 1, 2026
The same office also tried to impart basic economics.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 30, 2026
About the author: Alexander William Salter is a senior research fellow at Independent Institute and an economics professor at Texas Tech University.
From Barron's • Apr. 30, 2026
He has over 2.1 million followers on X, where he is known to share his views not only on markets and economics but also politics.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 28, 2026
Armpit’s economics teacher once told the class about a donkey standing exactly halfway between two identical haystacks.
From "Small Steps" by Louis Sachar
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.
