raw material
Americannoun
noun
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material on which a particular manufacturing process is carried out
-
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.
"Our raw material, our gold, our copper, goes to other countries... we are experiencing misery."
From BBC • Jun. 6, 2026
The Christian tradition insists that human beings aren’t raw material for systems optimization or infinitely malleable units within a technological network.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 28, 2026
On Tuesday, Israel's state comptroller released a scathing report accusing successive governments of neglecting domestic weapons production and failing to maintain critical raw material reserves.
From Barron's • May 16, 2026
The company said weak global markets hampered sales growth, and there would be a delayed effect from recent changes in raw material prices.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 6, 2026
News was the intellectual raw material of the struggle.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
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.
