economics
Americannoun
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(used with a singular verb) the science that deals with the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services, or the material welfare of humankind.
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(used with a plural verb) financial considerations; economically significant aspects.
What are the economics of such a project?
noun
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(functioning as singular) the social science concerned with the production and consumption of goods and services and the analysis of the commercial activities of a society See also macroeconomics microeconomics
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(functioning as plural) financial aspects
the economics of the project are very doubtful
Discover More
Economics is sometimes referred to as the “dismal science.”
Economics is generally understood to concern behavior that, given the scarcity of means, arises to achieve certain ends. When scarcity ceases, conventional economic theory may no longer be applicable. (See affluent society.)
Etymology
Origin of economics
Explanation
Economics studies the production, distribution and consumption of goods and services and their management. People get jobs, they make things, they sell those things, they get paid, they use that money to buy other things. Economics makes the world go round. Economics is a branch of social science. Like dueling political parties, economists also support different theories about how to best regulate the economy with government policies. Since it relates to the financial health of countries and how countries interact through trade, the relevance of economics is enormous and often the subject of the evening news. "Home Economics" is the somewhat antiquated yet still relevant notion of the management of money, food, laundry, and cleaning that keep a house running smoothly.
Vocabulary lists containing economics
Economics
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The Enlightenment
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The Friendship War
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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.
Four years later she went to Oxford University in the UK, where she studied philosophy, politics and economics.
From BBC • May 1, 2026
"If the infrastructure is there, the economics are there for an increasing number of logistics routes and requirements," he said.
From Barron's • Apr. 29, 2026
That matters enormously, because over the past decade, the field of climate economics has generated some of the most consequential numbers in global finance and governance.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 29, 2026
Seasonality, demand patterns, refining mismatches and refinery closures, along with the push and pull of economics, also factor into the price.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 29, 2026
Today, my home economics teacher is teaching us how to sew aprons.
From "Betty Before X" by Ilyasah Shabazz and Renée Watson
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.
