prod ‧ uct S1 W1 /ˈprɒdʌkt $ ˈprɑː-/ BrE AmE noun
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ produce , ↑ producer , ↑ product , ↑ production , ↑ reproduction , ↑ productivity ; adjective : ↑ productive ≠ ↑ unproductive , ↑ counterproductive , ↑ reproductive , ↑ reproducible ; verb : ↑ produce , ↑ reproduce ; adverb : ↑ productively ]
[ Date: 1400-1500 ; Language: Latin ; Origin: productum , from the past participle of producere ; ⇨ ↑ produce 1 ]
1 . [uncountable and countable] something that is grown or made in a factory in large quantities, usually in order to be sold
agricultural/dairy/software etc products
consumer products such as VCRs
The London factory assembles the finished product.
He works in marketing and product development.
2 . the product of something
a) if someone is the product of a particular background or experience, their character is typical of that background or the result of that experience:
Paula was the product of a sheltered middle-class home.
b) if something is the product of a particular situation, process etc, it is the result of that situation or process:
The report was the product of four years’ hard work.
3 . [countable] technical the number you get by multiplying two or more numbers in ↑ mathematics
4 . [countable] something that is produced through a natural or chemical process:
Hemoglobin is a product of red blood cells.
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COLLOCATIONS
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + product
▪ a commercial product
They help firms turn good ideas into commercial products.
▪ a consumer product (=one that is bought by the public)
Demand for consumer products has increased.
▪ household products
Do you know what chemicals are in household products such as washing powder and paint?
▪ beauty/hair products
She doesn’t buy beauty products that have been tested on animals.
▪ dairy/milk products
Some people are allergic to dairy products.
▪ meat products
meat products like sausages, pies and burgers
▪ the finished product
The quality of the finished product is all-important.
■ product + NOUN
▪ product development
The money will be used to fund product development.
▪ a product range/line (=the range of things that a company makes and sells)
We want to broaden the company’s product line.
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THESAURUS
▪ product noun [countable] something that is made or produced in large quantities, usually in order to be sold:
consumer products such as mobile phones
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dairy products
▪ goods noun [plural] things that are produced in order to be sold, especially for use in the home:
They sell furniture and other household goods.
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electrical goods
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white goods (=large electrical goods used in the home such as washing machines and refrigerators)
▪ commodity noun [countable] formal a type of product or raw material that can be bought and sold – used especially about basic food products, metals, and fuels:
The decline in prices for agricultural commodities made the economic situation worse.
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All metal was a valuable commodity and was rarely wasted.
▪ merchandise noun [uncountable] formal things that are being sold, especially in shops:
Customers are not allowed to handle the merchandise.
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Sales of books, videos, and other merchandise have increased.
▪ wares noun [plural] written things that are offered for sale, especially in a market or on the street:
In the market, the traders began selling their wares.
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Merchants brought their wares from all over the world.
▪ export noun [countable often plural] a product that is sent to a foreign country in order to be sold:
US exports rose to $11.935 billion.
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At the moment, oil is their biggest export.
▪ import noun [countable often plural] goods that are brought from one country into another to be sold there:
The UK clothing industry cannot compete with foreign imports on price.