marketplace
Americannoun
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a place where a public market is held
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any centre where ideas, opinions, etc, are exchanged
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the commercial world of buying and selling
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of marketplace
Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at market, place
Explanation
A marketplace is a location where people buy goods. When you travel to a new city, you should visit a marketplace to purchase souvenirs for your friends back home. Marketplace often describes an outdoor market where vendors sell produce, meat, crafts, and other goods. Depending where you are, a marketplace might be called a bazaar, a palengke, or a souk. A more general meaning is an economic system or market, or simply the everyday world where things get bought and sold. You should probably test your new lasagna-flavored ice cream in the marketplace to see if anyone will want to buy it!
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.
By then, I was no longer just the guy from Facebook Marketplace.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 5, 2026
Yes, I know you can buy them on Facebook Marketplace, but that’s cheating.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026
Sonny Baker has just started to tell a story about a bike he bought from someone on Facebook Marketplace and a tomahawk steak when the video call goes dead.
From BBC • Apr. 30, 2026
If you’re nervous, 2026 is a year to plan, said panelist Chris Farrell, senior economics contributor at American Public Media’s Marketplace radio program and author of ”Unretirement.”
From MarketWatch • Feb. 25, 2026
“Facebook Marketplace might be a good place to start, or Front Porch Forum?”
From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz
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.
