retail
Americannoun
adjective
adverb
verb (used with object)
-
retails,
present (3rd person singular)
-
retailed,
past participle, past
-
retailing
present participle
-
to sell at retail; sell directly to the consumer.
-
to relate or repeat in detail to others.
to retail scandal.
verb (used without object)
-
retails,
present (3rd person singular)
-
retailed,
past participle, past
-
retailing
present participle
noun
adjective
adverb
verb
-
to sell or be sold in small quantities to consumers
-
(tr) to relate (gossip, scandal, etc) in detail, esp persistently
Usage
What does retail mean? Retail is the sale of goods to the person who will actually use the goods. It is often used to describe the consumer goods industry, as in Jade worked in retail over the summer break to earn money for school. Retail is also used to describe something related to sales at retail, as in While the wholesale price is low, the retail price is much higher because the store’s rent is also very high. To retail is to sell directly to the consumer or to be sold at retail. Example: The retail store down the road has a sale on all sorts of good stuff today.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
retailsimple
-
retailssimple
-
have retailedperfect
-
has retailedperfect
-
am retailingprogressive
-
are retailingprogressive
-
is retailingprogressive
-
have been retailingperfect progressive
-
has been retailingperfect progressive
Past
-
retailedsimple
-
had retailedperfect
-
was retailingprogressive
-
were retailingprogressive
-
had been retailingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of retail
First recorded in 1375–1425; (for the noun) late Middle English, from Anglo-French: “a cut,” derivative of retailler “to cut,” from re- re- + tailler “to cut” ( see tail 2); (for the verb) Middle English retailen, from Old French retailler
Explanation
If you buy a pair of jeans at your neighborhood Chique Boutique, you’re buying retail, but if you go to China and buy a boatload of jeans directly from the manufacturer, you’re buying wholesale, which is the opposite of retail. If you make your living growing flowers, you may have a retail shop where you sell to people buying flowers for themselves, and you may also have a wholesale business, where you sell flowers to florists and supermarkets who sell your flowers to their customers. As you have probably figured out, the retail shops — the florists and supermarkets — add their own markup to the wholesale price you charge them, so they can make a profit, too.
Vocabulary lists containing retail
Material World: Shopping Lingo
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"Principles of Business," Vocabulary from Chapter 2
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Quartering Act (1765)
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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:
The chief market strategist and his team, who provide market tools and research for institutional and retail investors, have made some prescient market calls since the firm’s 2015 start.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 2, 2026
Consolidation could thus give the combined platform more negotiating leverage, which could affect delivery economics, access to customers and retail media monetization, the analysts say.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026
But CCI France voiced concern about the impact of the protests on retail activity ahead of the year-end holiday season, a peak period for businesses.
From Barron's ● Nov. 1, 2026
Under the plan, the city’s retail sales tax would increase from 10.25 cents per dollar spent to 10.75 cents per dollar spent.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2026
The place looks more like a college campus than the home of a retail giant.
From "Things Not Seen" by Andrew Clements
“If they’re going to have a car that has a road map to autonomy, and it retails for less than the average new car in the United States, that’s a pretty positive formula.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026
So if we stick to a toy that retails for $30 in the US, and therefore costs $6 to make in China, the cost of getting it to the states is 60 cents.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
The 14-inch MacBook Pro, which once sold for $1,700, now retails for $2,000, while the iPad Air increased from $600 to $750.
From Barron's ● Jun. 25, 2026
To illustrate, consider a scenario in which you purchase an iPhone 17 standard model, which retails for around $800, with bitcoin that you purchased for half its current price.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 11, 2026
She has very pleasant conversations with Mrs. Ned, which she retails to me at home.
From The Irrational Knot Being the Second Novel of His Nonage by Bernard Shaw
When Meta launched the Quest 3 in June 2023, its 128GB model retailed for £480.
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026
A silk shirtdress in 1979 retailed for $130.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
General admission passes to the three-day festival originally retailed at $649 and $549 for the festival’s two weekends, respectively, with VIP tickets priced at double.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 22, 2026
They retailed for $399 and reportedly sold out immediately, or at least orders for them did.
From Salon ● Dec. 6, 2024
He retailed to them the curious interchange of phrases he had overheard on the journey from Aleppo.
From "Murder on the Orient Express" by Agatha Christie
That is a key measure for making money in online retailing; it costs roughly the same to ship $100 worth of clothing as it does $1,000.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
But the tech won't come cheap - retailing at $2,195 in the US and £1,995 in the UK.
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026
Wilson built Lululemon into a retailing juggernaut and helped create the athleisure category—a term he has said he hates.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026
"But if you go to some places over in Europe and the States, the cost of a simple lettuce could be $2.99. In the UK, it's retailing at 80p to £1."
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
“Well,” Dad said, leaning back, “it's very good of you and Alice to worry, Brian, but the retailing sector is holding its own and Greenland is robust.”
From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell
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