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.
The problem for data geeks like Savouri, however, and for investors, is the increasingly unreliable raw material that governments are providing them.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 15, 2026
Building product companies have faced significant challenges recently as tariffs have driven up raw material prices and fewer consumers are upgrading their homes.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 7, 2026
"If the main raw material is disturbed, the whole industry is disturbed," Dulera told AFP.
From Barron's • Mar. 29, 2026
Fuel and raw material shortages, chronic underinvestment and nationalisations have hollowed out the local economy.
From BBC • Mar. 26, 2026
You have to control the raw material, she said, or they’ll make you into a clown.
From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee
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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.