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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The Friendship War
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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.
Remski said he sees connections between the kind of New Age spirituality pioneered by Chopra and other developments in society, economics and politics that have enabled a hyper-individualist culture.
From Salon • May 19, 2026
The worsening economics of television have put pressure on networks to reconsider the value of late-night shows, although the specter of President Trump also hangs over Colbert’s departure.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 16, 2026
It is undeniable that the economics of television and late night have changed.
From MarketWatch • May 15, 2026
Bessent “put pressure” on Japan for a classical recipe of tighter budgeting and interest-rate hikes, says Shigeto Nagai, head of Japan economics at Oxford Economics.
From Barron's • May 14, 2026
While economics and the flattening of the world have pushed Reuters down this path, Glocer has tried to make a virtue of necessity.
From "The World Is Flat" by Thomas L. Friedman
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.
