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

Chief Executive Breon Corcoran attributed the company’s performance to a broader product offering and favorable market conditions.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026

Japan's gross domestic product expanded 0.5 percent in the first quarter, exceeding market forecasts of 0.4 percent.

From Barron's • May 19, 2026

Consumer spending still accounts for two-thirds of gross domestic product, and Americans have rarely felt gloomier about shopping–even as they continue to open their wallets.

From Barron's • May 18, 2026

Tanner added some suppliers may refuse to do it, and some producers in "fine wine areas" of France "won't put barcodes on their product anyway".

From BBC • May 18, 2026

Cautiously I moved the finished product toward him to inspect.

From "The Boy on the Wooden Box" by Leon Leyson

Related Words

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