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.

---

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

---

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

“These are difficult decisions taken to align production with demand, reduce inventory, and adapt to declining market conditions,” a company spokesperson said in a statement about the latest cuts.

From Barron's • Jun. 22, 2026

The electric-vehicle manufacturer on Monday said the cuts, which span full-time employees, contractors and hourly production workers, would reduce costs by about $158 million a year.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 22, 2026

Criss was electric in “Something’s Coming” from “West Side Story,” gliding across the stage as though in a full-scale production.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 22, 2026

Separately, Alphabet on Monday said DeepMind would collaborate with film studio and distributor A24 on AI research that could ultimately help with things like movie production.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 22, 2026

On a usual day, operators are making sure that the chain reaction clips along at just the right rate for power production.

From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland

Related Words

• construction
• management
• manufacture
• manufacturing