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

With the rising cost of raw materials, labor and energy, organizations must develop innovative ways to operate efficiently while delivering maximum value to customers. —Dr. Adil Dalal, Forbes, 25 Oct. 2024

Robbin’s richest vein of raw material, however, is her own backstory. —Belinda Luscombe / Boston, TIME, 23 Oct. 2024

My father would give me blotters scented with dry, raw materials. —Felix Bischof, theweek, 17 Oct. 2024

Securing raw materials such as lithium from the U.S. is crucial to GM’s plans to profitably grow its all-electric vehicle business and meet tightening federal requirements for incentives to produce and sell the vehicles and the large batteries needed to power them. —Michael Wayland, CNBC, 16 Oct. 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