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

Lenssen also had to take his product apart, brick by brick—because what he built in his attic wouldn’t fit down his staircase.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026

The past fortnight has shown why pro golf can be a very attractive sporting product.

From BBC • Apr. 20, 2026

There were greener leaves, and oranger fruit, and a palatable juice product.

From Slate • Apr. 20, 2026

The mastermind behind ASML’s unlikeliest hit product is a data analyst named Rick Lenssen—or, as he’s now known to some colleagues, Brick Lenssen.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026

The notion of the recent killings being the product of “age-old” hatred is therefore misleading.

From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Related Words

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