flea market

American  

noun

1. a market, often outdoors, consisting of a number of individual stalls selling old or used articles, curios and antiques, cut-rate merchandise, etc.

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flea market British  

noun

1. an open-air market selling cheap and often second-hand goods

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flea market Idioms  

1. A market, usually held outdoors, where used goods and antiques are sold. For example, We picked up half of our furniture at flea markets. The term is a direct translation of the French marché aux puces and presumably implies that some of the used clothes and furniture might be flea-infested. [1920s]

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Other Word Forms

• flea-marketeer
  noun
• flea-marketer
  noun

Etymology

Origin of flea market

First recorded in 1920–25

Compare meaning

How does flea-market compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• swap meet vs. flea market

Example Sentences

Flea market vendors tell the history of where you are.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 3, 2025

Flea market find: The 1924 film The City Without Jews was lost for decades, until a collector stumbled upon a copy in a Paris flea market.

From Slate • Apr. 3, 2019

The ring and the accessories, I always get them at the Brooklyn Flea market for like a dollar.

From New York Times • Aug. 1, 2017

SAT Flea market, 40 vendors, antiques, salvage, art, food vendor, tarot or numerology reading, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 20, 2017

SAT Flea market with 40 vendors, lunch and tarot card reading available, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 20, 2016