Word

commerce

noun C1

UK /ˈkɒm.əs/

US /ˈkɑ.mɚs/

Meanings

noun

the buying and selling of goods and services; trade and business activity

noun

business activity conducted online, including selling and purchasing through websites or apps

Definition

Commerce is the activity of buying and selling goods and services, especially on a large scale.

Commerce refers to trade and business activity in which products or services are exchanged for money or other value. It includes everything involved in getting goods from producers to customers, such as selling, marketing, and distribution. The word is often used when talking about local, national, or international trade and the systems that support it.

Examples

I studied commerce because I wanted to understand how markets connect producers with consumers.
You can see how quickly commerce adapts when a new platform changes the way people shop.
He argued that regional commerce would expand if transport links became more reliable.
She built her career in commerce by combining data analysis with a strong sense of customer needs.
They tracked how tourism reshaped local commerce in the old town over the last decade.

Common mistake

Learners sometimes confuse commerce with economy, but commerce focuses on trade (buying and selling), not the whole economic system.