production

American  

[pruh-duhk-shuhn] / prəˈdʌk ʃən /

noun

• productions
  plural

1. the act of producing; creation; manufacture.

2. something that is produced; a product.

3. Economics. the creation of value; the producing of articles having exchange value.

4. the total amount produced.

   Production is up this month.

5. a work of literature or art.

6. the act of presenting for display; presentation; exhibition.

   the production of evidence in support of the case.

   Synonyms:

   materialization, display, appearance, introduction

7. Informal. an unnecessarily or exaggeratedly complicated situation or activity.

   That child makes a production out of going to bed.

8. the organization and presentation of a dramatic entertainment.

9. the entertainment itself.

   an expensive production.

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adjective

1. regularly manufactured; not custom-made, specially produced, or experimental.

   a production model.

production British  

/ prəˈdʌkʃən /

noun

1. the act of producing

2. anything that is produced; product

3. the amount produced or the rate at which it is produced

4. economics the creation or manufacture for sale of goods and services with exchange value

5. any work created as a result of literary or artistic effort

6. the organization and presentation of a film, play, opera, etc

7. the artistic direction of a play

8. 1. the supervision of the arrangement, recording, and mixing of a record

   2. the overall sound quality or character of a recording

      the material is very strong but the production is poor

9. (modifier) manufactured by a mass-production process

   a production model of a car

10. informal to make an unnecessary fuss about

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonproduction
  noun
• superproduction
  noun
• productional
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• productions
  plural

Etymology

Origin of production

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin prōductiōn-, stem of prōductiō “extension, lengthening”; equivalent to product + -ion

Explanation

Production is the process of goods being made or manufactured. If people like the cupcakes you sell about school events, you might have to increase production by baking in both your kitchen and your neighbor's. Anything that's made or grown is the result of production, from the harvesting of grains, vegetables, and fruits to the drilling of oil. Even your crafty friend handles the production of the handmade bookmarks she sells. Another common meaning of production is the work that goes into the making of a movie, play, or album. From this meaning comes the phrase make a production of, to do something in an overly complicated, or theatrical, way.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

production productions

Due to L.A. being an expensive market and the extra costs, Chris Schroeder, the owner of the production company Lake works with, said the show ended up costing two to three times more.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026

He pointed to laptop production being slower than usual and demand for desktop computers looking “particularly weak.”

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026

Sapporo's decision to move production comes as companies adapt to a growing number of tariffs worldwide.

From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026

Employment in temporary help services increased in August, and industrial production ticked up.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026

President Wilson needed a steady production of meat from the Stock Yard to feed the hungry troops.

From "A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919" by Claire Hartfield

He said there had been a particular rise in the number of indigenous productions – that is, productions written, directed and produced in Northern Ireland.

From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026

But the industry is also changing because streaming services provide a distribution platform for low-cost productions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026

That has opened up opportunities for new types of internet productions to fill at least some of the gap, said Sam Glendon, an industrial broker who’s handled several such deals.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026

Andrew Reid, chief content officer at Northern Ireland Screen, told BBC News NI that productions like this have become a "regular occurrence" in Northern Ireland.

From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026

The bookshelves, window sills, radiators, and all other flat surfaces are piled high with anthologies of plays, copies of scripts, and videotapes and sound tracks of Broadway productions.

From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove

Related Words

• construction
• management
• manufacture
• manufacturing