Thesaurus results for COMMERCE

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

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

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.

Example 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 The harder tasks are to integrate capital markets, reduce regulatory differences between member states, and dismantle barriers to cross-border investment and commerce. — Claas Mertens, Foreign Affairs, 19 Oct. 2026 Google introduced the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) for agentic commerce on January 11, 2026, a signal that AI commerce had become a platform-wide project rather than a single-app experiment. — Lauren Schuster, Sacbee.com, 16 Oct. 2026 Braniecki likened the effort to make SPACE open source to what happened with web browsers as the internet developed — companies came together to build guardrails that allowed secure browsing and online commerce. — Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 15 Oct. 2026 Farmers, truckers and others who keep commerce humming in the United States have to raise their prices in order to digest higher diesel costs. — Steve Kopack, NBC news, 15 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for commerce

Recent Examples of Synonyms for commerce

Noun

With the major powers heading to the moon, low-Earth orbit becoming busier than ever, and countless new companies entering the space marketplace, the hiring pipeline is more critical than ever.

— Space.com Staff, Space.com, 24 Oct. 2026
As a result of sticker shock, Ohio saw the biggest drop — tied with Oklahoma for the most in the nation — in the number of people enrolled in the marketplace last year, with a nearly 33% decline in enrollment.

— Saige Miller, NPR, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of marketplace

Noun

Instead of relying primarily on inorganic compounds, scientists can investigate how molecular geometry and stronger electronic interactions create useful quantum properties.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 23 Oct. 2026
Without its own personal assistant, Anthropic might lose those daily interactions to competing products from Meta and OpenAI—even if users might prefer Anthropic’s Claude.

— Wen Shao, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of interaction

Noun

Trucks have piled up at borders as Iran's trade shifts to overland.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 26 Oct. 2026
That view is held by 59% of employers in information, 53% in financial activities, and 49% each in trade, transportation and utilities and in education and health services.

— Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of trade

Noun

The crab digs shallow burrows for mating and molting and frequently maintains several burrows within its territory, the USGS report states.

— Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2026
The gear’s teeth and internal ribs came through clearly, as did the clip’s narrow gate and mating features.

— Michael Lydick, PC Magazine, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of mating

Noun

The project will eliminate some parking along Van Nuys Boulevard and construction will affect traffic in the area.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026
The officer reported looking west and at one point and seeing traffic officers with their emergency lights activated and beyond them, runners directly in Wade’s path, according to court documents.

— Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of traffic

Noun

Tan-Gillespie eventually became the first in her family to attend college, studying business at the University of Plymouth and graduating in 1996.

— Preston Fore, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2026
Scott Alexander, president of Propulsion Systems within L3Harris’ Missile Solutions business, said the design combines propulsion expertise with advanced seeker technology.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of business

Browse Nearby Words

comments

commerce

commerces

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Commerce.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/commerce. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of commerce

noun

Synonym Chooser

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