economics

noun

eco·​nom·​ics ˌe-kə-ˈnä-miks  ˌē-kə- 

plural in form but singular or plural in construction

1

a

: a social science concerned chiefly with description and analysis of the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services

b

: economic theory, principles, or practices

sound economics

2

: economic aspect or significance

the economics of building a new stadium

3

: economic conditions

current economics

Examples of economics in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Listen to this article Today is the 110th birthday of Bill Vickrey, the Columbia economics professor and Nobel laureate who first came up with the concept of congestion pricing. —New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 21 June 2024

Gerald Friedman, a University of Massachusetts Amherst economics professor, said the real-world impact of the idea would not be large even if the policy went into effect. —Haisten Willis, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 11 June 2024

Michael Belzer, an economics professor at Wayne State University, studied the potential impact of a shutdown of commerce in Detroit in 2003. —Reuters, Detroit Free Press, 6 June 2024

Robert Pollard Fetter was the son of Frank Fetter, an economics professor at Princeton University, and Elizabeth Fetter, a musician. —Frederick N. Rasmussen, Baltimore Sun, 17 Feb. 2024

Word History

Etymology

earlier oeconomicks "science or art of managing a household" from oeconomick, economike in same sense (Middle English iconomique, borrowed from Middle French yconomique, borrowed from Medieval Latin economica, feminine singular or neuter plural of oeconomicus "relating to the management of a household") + -ics — more at economic

Note: Compare ancient Greek oikonomikḗ "practice of household, administrative or economic management," oikonomiká (neuter plural) "administrative affairs."

First Known Use

1792, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing economics

• geo-economics
• home economics
• new economics
• supply-side economics

Kids Definition

economics

singular or plural noun

ec·​o·​nom·​ics

ˌek-ə-ˈnäm-iks,

ˌē-kə-

1

: a social science concerned with description and analysis of the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services

2

: financial considerations

the economics of buying a house

economist

i-ˈkän-ə-məst

noun