production

American  

[pruh-duhk-shuhn] / prəˈdʌk ʃən /

noun

productions plural

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

Derived Forms

• nonproduction
  noun
• superproduction
  noun
• productional
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• productions
  plural

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

See Examples For:

production productions

Some movie fans are just finding out that the $250 million production isn’t an original screenplay.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026

They said the documentary's production staff gave several people instructions on how to watch it in the US, and also pointed to a post promoting the programme on X.

From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026

The blonde-haired sunglasses collector scored a minor role in the series "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" and took a position overseeing Covid safety protocols during the pandemic on another production.

From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026

“I would be more than surprised, again, if you don’t see oil back over $100 bucks again. I think there has been more damage to production than people realize there has been.”

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026

Even though her own production company had been derailed, she still longed for good pictures to be made about us.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

He appeared in award-winning off-Broadway productions including “Rent,” “Peter and the Starcatcher” and “Enter Laughing,” among others.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026

Grisetti, who also directed various musical productions, notably brought his talent and experience to Cal State Fullerton and Loyola Marymount University, teaching acting, musical theater and business.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026

I am not the only person who has been inside this bunker, aside from the many actors and crew members from various productions.

From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026

It was one of the issues behind a huge strike in Hollywood in 2023 that shuttered productions and cost studios billions of dollars.

From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026

"You know that for the student-run productions, I just show up for performances."

From "You Bring the Distant Near" by Mitali Perkins

Related Words

• construction
• management
• manufacture
• manufacturing