product

American  

[prod-uhkt, -uhkt] / ˈprɒd əkt, -ʌkt /

noun

1. a thing produced by labor.

   products of farm and factory;

   the product of his thought.

2. a person or thing produced by or resulting from a process, as a natural, social, or historical one; result.

   He is a product of his time.

3. the totality of goods or services that a company makes available; output.

   a decrease in product during the past year.

4. Chemistry. a substance obtained from another substance through chemical change.

5. Mathematics.

   1. the result obtained by multiplying two or more quantities together.

   2. intersection.

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product British  

/ ˈprɒdʌkt /

noun

1. something produced by effort, or some mechanical or industrial process

2. the result of some natural process

3. a result or consequence

4. a substance formed in a chemical reaction

5. any substance used to style hair, such as gel, wax, mousse, or hairspray

6. maths

   1. the result of the multiplication of two or more numbers, quantities, etc

   2. Also called: set product.  another name for intersection

7. See Cartesian product

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product Scientific  

/ prŏd′əkt /

1. A number or quantity obtained by multiplication. For example, the product of 3 and 7 is 21.

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Other Word Forms

• multiproduct
  adjective
• subproduct
  noun

Etymology

Origin of product

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin prōductum “(thing) produced,” neuter of past participle of prōdūcere “to lead forward”; see produce

Explanation

When you start making something, the result is a product. Most products are offered for sale, like dairy products at the grocery store or kitchen products at Macy's. The word product is often a synonym for "merchandise" — the stuff for sale on the racks and shelves at a store. But a product can also simply be the result or consequence of someone's efforts or a set of circumstances. A good report card is the product of hard work. You are the product of your parent's relationship. And an aging hippie who still wears bell bottoms may be described as a product of the sixties.

Example Sentences

Simple enough, but it was a reminder that end product is the currency that Salah deals in.

From BBC • May 23, 2026

And some consumers are put off by the price—at least $255 for a product that they imagine costs a fraction of that to make.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 23, 2026

“It’s durable, lightweight, transparent, so it could even be used as a substitute for glass,” Elias Picazo, assistant professor of chemistry at USC, said of the final plastic product.

From Los Angeles Times • May 23, 2026

A few months back, I made the mistake of trying to buy a product from Target, a store where products are sold — allegedly.

From Salon • May 22, 2026

He would blink and reassure himself that it was only a product of his tensed mind.

From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques

Related Words

• amount
• brand
• commodity
• crop
• device
• fruit
• merchandise
• output
• produce
• production
• profit
• stock
• work