raw material

noun

: crude or processed material that can be converted by manufacture, processing, or combination into a new and useful product

wheat … is raw material for the flour mill

—C. A. Koepke

broadly : something with a potential for improvement, development, or elaboration

perplexities are often the raw material of discoveries

—Agnes M. Clerke

Synonyms

• making
• material
• stuff
• substance
• timber

Examples of raw material in a Sentence

His experiences during the war were the raw material for the story.

Recent Examples on the Web

Corn, sugar, and soy oil remain the bulk of the raw materials used by biofuel producers, though focus has shifted to using non-food sources such as crop residues, wood residues, and dedicated energy crops. —Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2024

The 2016 peace agreement had included promises by the state to advance rural development, undertake land reform and reparations for victims of the half-century conflict, and offer crop substitutions for farmers of coca, the raw material for the production of cocaine. —Elizabeth Dickinson, Foreign Affairs, 1 Oct. 2024

The MUNCHers wouldn’t be responsible for turning raw material into finished products. —Bruce Dorminey, Forbes, 28 Sep. 2024

Manufacturing disruption and layoffs A strike lasting a matter of months could cause a shortage of raw materials that brings some manufacturing activity to a halt, leading to layoffs at affected plants as well as in related industries such as shipping and logistics, some experts said. —Max Zahn, ABC News, 27 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1612, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

raw material

noun

: something from which a useful or desirable product can be manufactured or produced

wheat and rye are the raw materials for a flour mill

collect raw material for writing a story