product
/ˈprɒdʌkt/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈprɑːdʌkt/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈprä-(ˌ)dəkt/ (ame, mw)
product — noun
- productsingular
- productsplural
1. An item that has been manufactured, grown, or created for the purpose of being s
An item that has been manufactured, grown, or created for the purpose of being sold to customers.
Ramón always checks the expiry date before buying any dairy product.
collocation: dairy product
The company plans to launch its new product line of eco-friendly bags next spring.
collocation: product line
Feng compared the prices of several similar products before choosing one.
Adina returned the faulty product and asked the shop for a full refund.
All products must pass a safety test before they reach the shop shelves.
- goods
usually plural and often refers to physical items in trade or commerce
- item
a more general word for a single thing, not specifically commercial
- commodity
a raw material or agricultural product traded in bulk, more formal and technical
- merchandise
goods for sale in a shop, used collectively rather than for individual items
常見錯誤
2. A cream, liquid, or similar substance applied to the hair or the skin for cleani
A cream, liquid, or similar substance applied to the hair or the skin for cleaning, styling, or improving how it looks and feels.
Sayaka uses a special hair product to keep her curls soft during winter.
collocation: hair product
The beautician recommended a gentle product for people with sensitive skin.
collocation: product for sensitive skin
Minh switched to a natural hair product made from plant oils and herbs.
Tunde found that the new skincare product worked well on his acne-prone skin.
- preparation
a formal term for a specially made substance, common in medical or cosmetic contexts
- treatment
focuses on the therapeutic or restorative function rather than the substance itself
用法筆記
Frequently used in compound nouns such as 'hair product', 'skin product', 'skincare product', 'beauty product'. Often uncountable when referring to a substance in general (e.g. 'I need more product for my hair'), but countable when referring to specific brands or types (e.g. 'She tried three different products').
3. Something that is created or produced as a result of a particular process, effor
Something that is created or produced as a result of a particular process, effort, or set of circumstances.
The new policy was a product of months of careful negotiation between both sides.
pattern: product of + time + effort
Darius saw his improved health as a product of daily exercise and better eating habits.
Élise described the sculpture as a product of her imagination rather than real life.
The final report was the product of careful research by the whole team working together.
- result
more general and neutral; does not carry the creative or productive nuance of 'product'
- outcome
focuses on the final condition after a process, often used for formal or structured situations
- offspring
used figuratively to mean something derived from something else, but more literary and less common
- fruit
a metaphorical term for the positive result of effort, e.g. 'the fruits of his labour'
- cause
the origin or reason something happens, not the result
用法筆記
Almost always appears in the pattern 'the product of [something]' — the noun phrase following 'of' names the cause or source. Distinguish from sense 1 (COMMERCIAL GOODS), where 'product' refers to a physical item sold in a shop.
4. A value reached when multiplication is performed on a group of figures.
A value reached when multiplication is performed on a group of figures.
The product of seven and three is equal to twenty-one.
pattern: the product of [number] and [number]
Brandon asked his teacher how to find the product of two large numbers.
The students multiplied the numbers together to get the correct product.
On the exam, the calculator helped Liam check the product of each sum.
- result
a general term that works for any arithmetic operation, less precise than 'product'
用法筆記
Used only in mathematical contexts. The word 'product' is the result of multiplication, as opposed to 'sum' (addition), 'difference' (subtraction), or 'quotient' (division). Almost always takes the definite article: 'the product of X and Y'.
常見錯誤
5. A new substance that is created when one or more chemicals react with each other
A new substance that is created when one or more chemicals react with each other.
Water is a common product of many acid-base chemical reactions.
pattern: product of [reaction type]
Renata carefully recorded the mass of each product from the experiment.
When iron rusts, the main product is iron oxide, a reddish-brown compound.
Faisal identified carbon dioxide as one product of the burning reaction.
- by-product
a secondary product formed incidentally during a reaction, not the main intended one
- reactant
a substance that exists at the start of a chemical reaction and is changed into products
用法筆記
In chemistry notation, products appear on the right side of a chemical equation. The substances that react are called 'reactants'. Common collocations include 'reaction product' and 'by-product'.