raw material

American

noun

material before being processed or manufactured into a final form.

raw material British

noun

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

It mines bauxite, the raw material for aluminum, refines it into alumina powder, and operates smelters that turn alumina to finished aluminum.

From Barron's • Mar. 30, 2026

“We think that raw material issues are likely to cause some earnings growth uncertainties,” Zekauskas wrote in a note to clients.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 26, 2026

Fuel and raw material shortages, chronic underinvestment and nationalisations have hollowed out the local economy.

From BBC • Mar. 26, 2026

Instead of releasing it into the atmosphere, it can be captured and turned into a valuable raw material.

From Science Daily • Mar. 20, 2026

A never-ending line of carts brought the raw material in—thousands of skins, goat, calf, lizard and snake skins—and took them away again tanned, dyed and finished.

From "Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023