BY-PRODUCT

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does by-product mean? 

• BY-PRODUCT (noun)
  The noun BY-PRODUCT has 2 senses:

1. a secondary and sometimes unexpected consequence

2. a product made during the manufacture of something else

  Familiarity information: BY-PRODUCT used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• BY-PRODUCT (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A secondary and sometimes unexpected consequence

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural phenomena

Synonyms:

by-product; byproduct

Hypernyms ("by-product" is a kind of...):

consequence; effect; event; issue; outcome; result; upshot (a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "by-product"):

epiphenomenon (a secondary phenomenon that is a by-product of another phenomenon)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A product made during the manufacture of something else

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

by-product; byproduct; spin-off

Hypernyms ("by-product" is a kind of...):

product; production (an artifact that has been created by someone or some process)

 Context examples 

A dark brown or black thick liquid obtained by roasting pine wood or formed as a by-product in the production of coke.

(Coal Tar, NCI Thesaurus)

C. testosteroni is found in soil and water, is used in industry to breakdown industrial by-products, and is rarely found to be pathogenic in humans.

(Comamonas testosteroni, NCI Thesaurus)

By-products of both normal cell processes and environmental toxin exposure, oxygen free-radicals in high concentrations may damage DNA, proteins, and lipids, thereby increasing the risk for various diseases including cancer.

(Free radical, NCI Thesaurus)

Hazardous waste is also a by-product of manufacturing.

(Hazardous Waste, Environmental Protection Agency)

Subsequently, L-arginine is converted to nitric oxide by nitric oxide synthase and L-citrulline is regenerated as a by-product.

(Citrulline, NCI Thesaurus)

This substance is also found as a by-product in chlorinated water.

(Bromodichloromethane, NCI Thesaurus)

Plants also grew much better in salty soil, a by-product of drought, the researchers found.

(Grafting helps pepper plants deal with drought, SciDev.Net)

The movement of the throat when males are calling could constitute a visual signal, in which case the call itself would represent a by-product of the true signaling behavior.

(Tiny Brazilian Frogs Deaf to Own Calls, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

Oxygen is produced as a by-product of photosynthesis when the water absorbed by plants is ‘split’.

(Scientists pioneer a new way to turn sunlight into fuel, University of Cambridge)

Organic molecules are a food source for microbes in the lake sediments, which break them down and release carbon dioxide and methane as by-products.

(Climate change could double greenhouse gas emissions from freshwater ecosystems, University of Cambridge)