commercial

Pluralcommercials

1. 1
   tradeadjective

   Relating to commerce: the buying and selling of goods and services.

   The downtown district is zoned for commercial activity.

   Their commercial interests extended across several countries.

   Similarbusiness, mercantile, trading, retail

   Oppositenoncommercial, residential

   Note

   It often sets a business view beside other views, as in Charles W. Chesnutt's The House Behind the Cedars (1900), where a market-house is central "from both the commercial and the picturesque points of view."

2. 2
   nouncountable

   An advertisement broadcast on radio or television or another common media format.

   The company spent millions on a thirty-second commercial during the championship final.

   Streaming services often insert commercials between episodes now.

   UsageUsually a commercial for something; the pause in a show for them is a commercial break.

   Similaradvertisement, ad, advert, spot, promo

3. 3
   paying passengersadjective

   Of aviation: done for pay or hire, especially carrying paying passengers or cargo, rather than for military or private purposes; used of flights, aircraft, airports and pilots.

   Commercial flights resumed once the runway reopened.

   He logged thousands of hours piloting commercial aircraft.

   Note

   Aviation uses the word to sort flying by who pays for it. A commercial flight carries passengers or cargo for pay or hire, which separates it from private and military flying. It is subject to certification and scheduling rules set by civil aviation authorities. Commercial aircraft follow the same distinction, while a commercial pilot is one licensed to fly for pay, including paid aerial work such as crop spraying or aerial photography, which some counts place under general aviation. Source

   Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 7 facts

   • Commercial air transport carries passengers or cargo for payment or hire. caa.co.uk
   • General aviation can include commercial operations; payment does not categorically separate commercial flying from general aviation. gov.uk
   • Commercial flights are subject to civil aviation certification requirements. faa.gov
   • Civil aviation rules regulate scheduled and on-demand commercial operations. faa.gov
   • Commercial aircraft are aircraft operated for remuneration or hire. en.wikipedia.org
   • A commercial pilot's licence permits paid flying, subject to applicable qualifications and operating rules. ecfr.gov
   • Commercial pilots can undertake paid crop spraying and aerial photography. aopa.org
4. 4
   adjective

   Produced mainly for profit and to please the widest possible audience, often at the expense of quality or originality.

   Critics dismissed her third novel as a slick, commercial product written for airport bookstores.

   The director turned down the sequel, saying the project had become too commercial.

   UsageUsually a criticism, often with too or slick: too commercial. But a commercial success simply sold well.

   Similarmainstream

   Oppositeuncommercial

5. 5
   ad-fundedadjective

   Of television or radio: funded mainly by selling airtime to advertisers rather than by the government or by fees from viewers.

   Unlike public broadcasters, commercial stations depend on advertisers to stay on the air.

   The documentary was turned down by every commercial network because it would be hard to sell ads around it.

   Oppositepublic, noncommercial

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