goods
goodz
Goods (noun) means Physical items that are produced, bought and sold; merchandise, as distinct from services. Example: “The port handles roughly forty million tonnes of goods a year.”
noun
1
Physical items that are produced, bought and sold; merchandise, as distinct from services.
"The port handles roughly forty million tonnes of goods a year."
"Faulty goods can be returned within thirty days."
"The shop sells household goods at very reasonable prices."
2
Possessions belonging to a person; personal property.
"The bailiffs are entitled to seize goods to the value of the debt."
"She packed her worldly goods into two suitcases."
"After the fire, the family lost most of their goods."
3
informal In the phrase 'the goods', the proof, information or quality that was promised.
"The police finally got the goods on him."
"Everyone talked up the new album, and it delivers the goods."
"The new bakery claims to make the best bread in town, but does it have the goods?"
How to use goods
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThings that are made and sold, or a person's belongings.
When to use it
Always plural in form and takes a plural verb: the goods are ready. In British rail and freight use it is attributive — a goods train, a goods yard.
Memory tip
Goods has no singular. For one item say an item, a product or a piece of merchandise, never 'a good' outside economics textbooks.
Easily confused with
goods vs. products
goods vs. services
goods vs. good
Common pairings
goods and services
consumer goods
luxury goods
deliver the goods
damaged goods
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The port handles roughly forty million tonnes of _____ a year.
Synonyms
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merchandise
products
wares
commodities
stock
belongings
possessions
effects
chattels
the evidence
the proof
the real thing
Antonyms
Related words
Rhymes for goods
See all rhymes for goods →Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between goods and services?
Goods are tangible things you can own and hand over — a phone, a loaf of bread, a car. Services are actions performed for you — a haircut, legal advice, a delivery. The distinction matters in tax, contract law and national accounts, where the two are counted separately.
Is goods singular or plural?
Plural. It takes a plural verb — the goods have arrived — and it has no singular form in ordinary use. Economists do write 'a good' as a technical term, but that usage stays inside economics.
What is the meaning of goods?
"goods" (noun) means physical items that are produced, bought and sold; merchandise, as distinct from services.
What is another word for goods?
Other words for "goods" include merchandise, products, wares, commodities, stock, belongings.
