e-commerce

American  

[ee-kom-ers] / ˈiˌkɒm ərs /

Or ecommerce

noun

1. business that is transacted by transferring data electronically, especially over the internet.

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e-commerce British  

/ ˈiːˌkɒmɜːs /

noun

1. business transactions conducted on the internet

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Etymology

Origin of e-commerce

First recorded in 1990–95; e- ² + commerce

Example Sentences

“Trust is the cornerstone of a brand’s competitive moat in the membership store sector,” said Hong Tao, director of the Institute of E-commerce at Beijing Technology and Business University.

From Barron's • Mar. 7, 2026

E-commerce sales in the US jumped 28% in the three months to 31 October, propelled by online orders and advertising.

From BBC • Feb. 3, 2026

E-commerce platforms like Fanatics Live and Whatnot have turned business transactions involving the cards of sports legends into entertainment and helped grow the market.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 26, 2025

E-commerce sales took off, but many of the e-commerce plans of that era were eventually shuttered, including Jet.com.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 14, 2025

E-commerce certainly has its strengths and the economic development associated with a profit-driven internet creates new reasons for new countries to get their populations online.

From Open Source Democracy by Rushkoff, Douglas

Related Words

• browsing
• spending