raw material

American  

noun

1. material before being processed or manufactured into a final form.

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raw material British  

noun

1. material on which a particular manufacturing process is carried out

2. a person or thing regarded as suitable for some particular purpose

   raw material for the army

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Etymology

Origin of raw material

First recorded in 1790–1800

Example Sentences

Privacy International also criticised the feature, telling the BBC it was "the latest sign AI companies see people's images and data as raw material to be exploited".

From BBC • Jul. 8, 2026

Individuals were treated as raw material for the realization of the state’s ends.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 3, 2026

Because sodium is far more abundant and widely available than lithium, manufacturers could potentially lower raw material costs while reducing long-term supply chain risks.

From Science Daily • Jun. 21, 2026

"Our raw material, our gold, our copper, goes to other countries... we are experiencing misery."

From BBC • Jun. 6, 2026

It is precisely this quality that makes facts the raw material of science, for science, too, is a peculiar amalgam of the real and the cultural.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton