COMMERCE Synonyms: 47 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'commerce' distinct from other similar nouns?

Some common synonyms of commerce are business , industry , trade , and traffic . While all these words mean "activity concerned with the supplying and distribution of commodities," commerce and trade imply the exchange and transportation of commodities.

Q: When might 'business' be a better fit than 'commerce'?

The meanings of business and commerce largely overlap; however, business may be an inclusive term but specifically designates the activities of those engaged in the purchase or sale of commodities or in related financial transactions.

Q: Where would 'industry' be a reasonable alternative to 'commerce'?

The words industry and commerce are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, industry applies to the producing of commodities, especially by manufacturing or processing, usually on a large scale.

Q: When would 'traffic' be a good substitute for 'commerce'?

The synonyms traffic and commerce are sometimes interchangeable, but traffic applies to the operation and functioning of public carriers of goods and persons.

commerce

noun

ˈkä-(ˌ)mərs

Definition of commerce next

as in marketplace

the buying and selling of goods especially on a large scale and between different places a government agency in charge of regulating interstate commerce

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in interaction

doings between individuals or groups when I was doing outside consulting for the company, I never had much commerce with the in-house staff

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

nonintercourse

as in sex

sexual union involving penetration of the vagina by the penis rumors of commerce between the lady and the knight spread throughout the court

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How is the word commerce distinct from other similar nouns?

Some common synonyms of commerce are business, industry, trade, and traffic. While all these words mean "activity concerned with the supplying and distribution of commodities," commerce and trade imply the exchange and transportation of commodities.

When might business be a better fit than commerce?

The meanings of business and commerce largely overlap; however, business may be an inclusive term but specifically designates the activities of those engaged in the purchase or sale of commodities or in related financial transactions.

Where would industry be a reasonable alternative to commerce?

The words industry and commerce are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, industry applies to the producing of commodities, especially by manufacturing or processing, usually on a large scale.

When would traffic be a good substitute for commerce?

The synonyms traffic and commerce are sometimes interchangeable, but traffic applies to the operation and functioning of public carriers of goods and persons.

Examples Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of commerce Commerce Secretary: Howard Lutnick Howard Lutnick is Trump’s pick for commerce secretary—choosing him for the commerce role instead of treasury secretary. —

Sara Dorn, Forbes, 17 Dec. 2024 Texas has vowed to pursue these cases regardless of those laws, and legal experts are divided on where the courts may land on this issue, which involves extraterritoriality, interstate commerce and other thorny legal questions last meaningfully addressed before the Civil War. —

Eleanor Klibanoff, Them, 16 Dec. 2024 The Washington Post reported Saturday, citing three unnamed sources, that Trump talked with his commerce secretary pick Howard Lutnick at Mar-a-Lago about his interest in overhauling the agency. —

Natalie Daher, Axios, 14 Dec. 2024 What that meant, to me, is that audiences have been craving ambition, which is something that movies, caught forever between art and commerce, haven’t been in a place to deliver. —

Vulture Editors, Vulture, 13 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for commerce

Recent Examples of Synonyms for commerce

Noun

That, in turn, will drive more accountability within the marketplace while raising the bar for software quality and security in a manner that benefits everyone.

Mario Vuksan, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024
Footage of Pieces of Wall Being Moved Video footage obtained by The Daily Wire showed sheets of the border wall being towed away close to Tucson, headed to the surplus government equipment auction marketplace GovPlanet.

Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 17 Dec. 2024