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

The filing also details various risk factors, including competition, raw material costs, and regulatory compliance that could impact future financial results. —Quartz Intelligence Newsroom, Quartz, 12 Feb. 2025

Gas had flowed along its filaments, providing galaxies with the raw material needed for star formation and, thus, for their growth. —Robert Lea, Space.com, 12 Feb. 2025

Some of that is attributed to the rise in raw material prices of copper, nickel and zinc. —George Petras, USA TODAY, 11 Feb. 2025

Goods subject to tariffs can be commodities or other raw materials, such as steel; component products, such as automobile transmissions; and finished products, such as a Mercedes-Benz sedan. —Dan Mangan, CNBC, 6 Feb. 2025

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