product

product — noun

1. An item that has been manufactured, grown, or created for the purpose of being s

1.nounB1
Definition

An item that has been manufactured, grown, or created for the purpose of being sold to customers.

Example

Ramón always checks the expiry date before buying any dairy product.

collocation: dairy product

The company plans to launch its new product line of eco-friendly bags next spring.

collocation: product line

Common collocations
  • dairy product
  • product line
  • faulty product
  • launch a product
  • product range
  • electronic product
Synonyms
  • goods

    usually plural and often refers to physical items in trade or commerce

  • item

    a more general word for a single thing, not specifically commercial

  • commodity

    a raw material or agricultural product traded in bulk, more formal and technical

  • merchandise

    goods for sale in a shop, used collectively rather than for individual items

Common Mistakes

I bought a new produce from the store.
I bought a new product from the store.
'produce' refers to fresh fruits and vegetables, not manufactured goods.
The product is very service.
The product comes with good service.
'product' is a thing; 'service' is a separate concept.

2. A cream, liquid, or similar substance applied to the hair or the skin for cleani

2.nounB2
Definition

A cream, liquid, or similar substance applied to the hair or the skin for cleaning, styling, or improving how it looks and feels.

Example

Sayaka uses a special hair product to keep her curls soft during winter.

collocation: hair product

The beautician recommended a gentle product for people with sensitive skin.

collocation: product for sensitive skin

Common collocations
  • hair product
  • skin product
  • skincare product
  • beauty product
  • use a product
  • apply a product
  • natural product
Synonyms
  • preparation

    a formal term for a specially made substance, common in medical or cosmetic contexts

  • treatment

    focuses on the therapeutic or restorative function rather than the substance itself

Usage Note

Frequently used in compound nouns such as 'hair product', 'skin product', 'skincare product', 'beauty product'. Often uncountable when referring to a substance in general (e.g. 'I need more product for my hair'), but countable when referring to specific brands or types (e.g. 'She tried three different products').

3. Something that is created or produced as a result of a particular process, effor

3.nounB2
Definition

Something that is created or produced as a result of a particular process, effort, or set of circumstances.

Example

The new policy was a product of months of careful negotiation between both sides.

pattern: product of + time + effort

Darius saw his improved health as a product of daily exercise and better eating habits.

Common collocations
  • product of
  • end product
  • finished product
  • by-product
Synonyms
  • result

    more general and neutral; does not carry the creative or productive nuance of 'product'

  • outcome

    focuses on the final condition after a process, often used for formal or structured situations

  • offspring

    used figuratively to mean something derived from something else, but more literary and less common

  • fruit

    a metaphorical term for the positive result of effort, e.g. 'the fruits of his labour'

Antonyms
  • cause

    the origin or reason something happens, not the result

Usage Note

Almost always appears in the pattern 'the product of [something]' — the noun phrase following 'of' names the cause or source. Distinguish from sense 1 (COMMERCIAL GOODS), where 'product' refers to a physical item sold in a shop.

4. A value reached when multiplication is performed on a group of figures.

4.nounB2
Definition

A value reached when multiplication is performed on a group of figures.

Example

The product of seven and three is equal to twenty-one.

pattern: the product of [number] and [number]

Brandon asked his teacher how to find the product of two large numbers.

Common collocations
  • product of
  • the product is
  • find the product
  • calculate the product
Synonyms
  • result

    a general term that works for any arithmetic operation, less precise than 'product'

Usage Note

Used only in mathematical contexts. The word 'product' is the result of multiplication, as opposed to 'sum' (addition), 'difference' (subtraction), or 'quotient' (division). Almost always takes the definite article: 'the product of X and Y'.

Common Mistakes

The product of 4 and 5 is 9.
The product of 4 and 5 is 20.
'product' is for multiplication; 'sum' is for addition.

5. A new substance that is created when one or more chemicals react with each other

5.nounB2
Definition

A new substance that is created when one or more chemicals react with each other.

Example

Water is a common product of many acid-base chemical reactions.

pattern: product of [reaction type]

Renata carefully recorded the mass of each product from the experiment.

Common collocations
  • reaction product
  • by-product
  • product of
  • main product
  • chemical product
Synonyms
  • by-product

    a secondary product formed incidentally during a reaction, not the main intended one

Antonyms
  • reactant

    a substance that exists at the start of a chemical reaction and is changed into products

Usage Note

In chemistry notation, products appear on the right side of a chemical equation. The substances that react are called 'reactants'. Common collocations include 'reaction product' and 'by-product'.

Common Mistakes

Carbon dioxide is a reactant of burning wood.
Carbon dioxide is a product of burning wood.
'reactants' are what you start with; 'products' are what you end with.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All five words refer to things that can be bought or sold, but they differ in scope and context. 'Product' is the most versatile everyday word — it covers anything manufactured, grown, or created for sale, from electronics to vegetables. 'Goods' is always plural and tends to describe physical items in bulk or in transit ('the goods were delivered by truck'), whereas 'product' can be singular or plural. 'Merchandise' is a collective term for items displayed in a shop ('the store's merchandise is arranged by category') and is rarely used for individual items. 'Commodity' is more technical, referring to raw materials or basic agricultural goods traded in large volumes (oil, wheat, coffee) whose price is set by the market rather than the brand. 'Item' is the most general of the five — it can mean any single thing, not necessarily commercial, making it less precise when the focus is on sale or production. For example: 'This product sells well in Asian markets' is natural, but 'This commodity sells well' sounds odd for a branded smartphone.

product ↗goods ↗merchandise ↗commodity ↗item ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • end product
  • by-product
  • finished product

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinEnglish

The word 'product' entered English from Latin 'productus', meaning 'something produced or brought forth'. This came from the verb 'producere' — 'pro-' meaning 'forward' and 'ducere' meaning 'to lead' — so literally 'to lead forward' or 'to bring forth'. The commercial meaning ('something made for sale') became dominant in the 17th century as trade and manufacturing grew. The mathematical sense ('result of multiplication') appeared in English around the same time. The chemistry sense ('substance formed in a reaction') followed in the 19th century as modern chemistry developed.