production

UK /prəˈdʌkʃən/ US /prəˈdʌkʃən/ Syllables: pro-duc-tion

Pronunciation

Noun A2 Elementary Neutral

The process of making or growing something, especially in large quantities.

Production is the act or process of making or growing something, especially in large amounts. A factory has production of cars, a farm has production of wheat, and a studio has production of films. The word also means the total amount made, as in production is up this month, and a single show or film, as in a school production of a play. Words close in meaning are manufacturing, output, creation, making, yield and generation. For a show, near words are staging, presentation and performance. The opposite is consumption, which means using up what has been made. In informal speech, to make a production out of something means to make it more complicated than it needs to be. The verb is produce, and the person who oversees a show or film is a producer.

"Car production slowed down during the shortage of parts."

Meanings

The act or process of making or growing something, especially in large quantities.
The total amount that is made.
A show, film or play that has been staged or recorded.

Example sentences

"The factory doubled its production of bicycles."

Level B1, Meaning 1
"Milk production fell during the hot summer."

Level B2, Meaning 2
"Production is up this month."

Level B2, Meaning 2
"The school's production of the play ran for three nights."

Level B2, Meaning 3
"Oil production slowed after the storm."

Level B2, Meaning 1

Synonyms and antonyms

Synonyms

manufacturing output

Antonyms

consumption

Look-alikes and common mistakes

product : A product is the thing that is made. Production is the act of making it, or the amount made.
productivity : Productivity is how much work or output you get from time or resources. Production is the output itself.
manufacture : Manufacture means making goods, usually with machines. Production is wider and includes farming and shows.
reproduction : Reproduction means copying something, or making new living things. It is a different word.

Word family and forms

Forms: productions

produce producer product productive productivity reproduction

Word partners

Words and phrases that often go with "production".

mass production
food production
oil production
production line
production costs
go into production
increase production
a theater production

Origin

Production came into English in the 1400s through Middle English produccioun and Old French production, from the Latin word productio, which meant a lengthening or extension. It is formed on produce or product plus an ending, and it belongs to the same family as those two words.

Checked against: Wiktionary, the free dictionary, Dictionary.com.

How to remember it

Picture a factory line. Production is everything that comes off it, from the first item to the last.

Test yourself

Which word fits the gap? "The factory doubled its _____ of bicycles."

Answer: production

In your own words, what does "production" mean?