bazaar
Americannoun
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(esp in the Orient) a market area, esp a street of small stalls
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a sale in aid of charity, esp of miscellaneous secondhand or handmade articles
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a shop where a large variety of goods is sold
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of bazaar
1590–1600; earlier bazarro < Italian ≪ Persian bāzār market
Explanation
A bazaar is a market that has rows and rows of little shops selling miscellaneous stuff — like tube socks, velvet paintings, and corn on the cob. Bazaar is originally a Persian word, and means "marketplace" all over the Middle East. The word was picked up by the Italians, and spread through Europe and into English. At a bazaar in Istanbul, you'd find food, electronics, clothes — useful stuff. In English, we tend to use bazaar for something closer to a flea market. Although they sound alike, bazaar has no relation to bizarre (the super weird).
Vocabulary lists containing bazaar
Commonly Confused Words, List 1
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Hundreds of thousands of third-party vendors use its online bazaar as a storefront, selling everything from clothing to housewares to Sony PlayStations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
"If there is no woman, there is no bazaar."
From Barron's ● Jul. 12, 2026
Within this spiritual bazaar, fashion became a place where people could reimagine Christian symbols, figures and history in new ways.
From Salon ● May 17, 2026
It looked disorientingly familiar to a fellow Egyptian American: Art from Egypt lined the walls, with brass pieces and calligraphy you’d find in a Cairo bazaar.
From Slate ● Apr. 29, 2026
“I saw him running toward the bazaar awhile ago.”
From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini
“Ono Ghost Market,” which was originally going to be a streaming series, is inspired by Asian myths about supernatural bazaars where the living and dead interact.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 7, 2026
The bazaars should normally be buzzing with activity as Nowruz approaches at the end of the month.
From Barron's ● Mar. 3, 2026
“We went to two bazaars in Jerusalem but then the war began and put a stop to everything for many months.”
From BBC ● Nov. 29, 2024
Some set up full bazaars with shot glasses and keychains for sale alongside baseball hats and T-shirts.
From Slate ● Nov. 27, 2023
I made my way through the bazaars and along the ghats of the Yamuna River, lost among all the pilgrims to the city.
From "Homeless Bird" by Gloria Whelan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
