production

American  

[pruh-duhk-shuhn] / prəˈdʌk ʃən /

noun

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

• nonproduction noun
• productional adjective
• superproduction noun

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

In the interests of maintaining brand mystique, Ferrari limits Purosangue to 20% of its overall production, lest it suffer the fate of Porsche, which now sells many more SUVs than its legendary sports cars.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 18, 2026

"We're used to having a lot of people around the town, but obviously we're not used to having a production team changing our little town into a Hollywood scene," she said.

From BBC • Apr. 17, 2026

But the auto market has been soft in 2026, with Mizuho projecting global light-vehicle production will decline around 2% year over year.

From Barron's • Apr. 17, 2026

But applying less fertilizer, switching to soybeans or cutting acres entirely all result in the same outcome Hanley noted: lower production.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 17, 2026

In response, the neighboring oaks step up their tannin production the better to withstand the coming onslaught.

From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson

Related Words

• construction
• management
• manufacture
• manufacturing