raw material
Americannoun
noun
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material on which a particular manufacturing process is carried out
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a person or thing regarded as suitable for some particular purpose
raw material for the army
Etymology
Origin of raw material
First recorded in 1790–1800
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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
Because gas is the raw material needed to make new stars, such outflows could significantly reduce future star formation.
From Science Daily • Jun. 19, 2026
At the same time, it cautioned that cost inflation is trending upwards, with the CFO saying the company was starting to see an impact on raw material costs from the Middle East conflict.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 10, 2026
"Our raw material, our gold, our copper, goes to other countries... we are experiencing misery."
From BBC • Jun. 6, 2026
It was a bad habit, Mitchell Sanders said, because all that matters is the raw material, the stuff itself, and you can’t clutter it up with your own half-baked commentary.
From "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
