cash crop
noun
: a readily salable crop (such as cotton or tobacco) produced or gathered primarily for market
Examples of cash crop in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In the time since the first retail store opened, the marijuana market in has exploded, growing to eclipse $8 billion in sales and becoming the state’s largest cash crop, surpassing cranberries years ago.
—
Matthew Medsger, Boston Herald, 28 July 2025
Illinois produces more of these fuzzy legumes than any other state, and the GOP could be counted on to support local farmers who want, above all, a healthy market for this lucrative cash crop.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 12 May 2025
In each case, growing landlessness and the pressure to cultivate cash crops reduced local resilience in the face of prolonged droughts and other disasters, such as outbreaks of bubonic plague and cattle disease.
—Michael Albertus, Foreign Affairs, 24 June 2025
Hemp has become an important cash crop in the five years since Texas set up its own program, and family farmers were a key constituency arguing against the ban and pressing Abbott for a veto.
—Saul Elbein, The Hill, 24 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for cash crop
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Matthew Medsger, Boston Herald, 28 July 2025
Illinois produces more of these fuzzy legumes than any other state, and the GOP could be counted on to support local farmers who want, above all, a healthy market for this lucrative cash crop.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 12 May 2025
In each case, growing landlessness and the pressure to cultivate cash crops reduced local resilience in the face of prolonged droughts and other disasters, such as outbreaks of bubonic plague and cattle disease.
—Michael Albertus, Foreign Affairs, 24 June 2025
Hemp has become an important cash crop in the five years since Texas set up its own program, and family farmers were a key constituency arguing against the ban and pressing Abbott for a veto.
—Saul Elbein, The Hill, 24 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for cash crop
Cite this Entry
“Cash crop.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cash%20crop. Accessed 7 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share