product

American  

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

noun

products plural

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

Derived Forms

• subproduct
  noun
• multiproduct
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• products
  plural

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

“It’s tempting to whatever you’re putting into the public square for it to be this kind of broad encompassing language like ‘product is clean’ or ‘sustainable’ or ‘ecofriendly.’

From Washington Post • Nov. 5, 2022

“I’ve been building social apps for 11 years—and not in a way that leads products to decay like a typical BigTech ‘product director dad.’

From Washington Post • Apr. 25, 2022

“The focus Banco BPM puts on its ‘product companies’ and especially those in ‘bancassurance’ we believe may contribute to improve the value of the group in an M&A scenario”, Bestinver analyst Fabrizio Bernardi said.

From Reuters • Nov. 5, 2021

“It’s called ‘product development’ for a reason,” he said.

From Reuters • Jan. 9, 2018

He is commenting on an exhibit that shows some of the print ads for the iPad.Schiller is now being asked about ‘product placement.’

From Forbes • Aug. 3, 2012

Related Words

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