Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

marketplace

American  
[mahr-kit-pleys] / ˈmɑr kɪtˌpleɪs /
Or market place

noun

  1. an open area in a town where a market is held.

  2. the commercial world; the realm of business, trade, and economics.

  3. any sphere considered as a place where ideas, thoughts, artistic creations, etc., compete for recognition.

marketplace British  
/ ˈmɑːkɪtˌpleɪs /

noun

  1. a place where a public market is held

  2. any centre where ideas, opinions, etc, are exchanged

  3. the commercial world of buying and selling

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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!

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

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.

The outlook isn’t entirely rosy: BofA analysts still anticipate near-term risks such as volatility in the health insurance marketplace.

From Barron's • Apr. 29, 2026

While the marketplace accounts for a fraction of Revolve’s $1.23 billion 2025 sales, Karanikolas views the volume as significant.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 29, 2026

“By connecting our two-sided marketplace with Uber, we’re bringing Uber rides directly into the Expedia app, and Expedia Group’s lodging inventory into the Uber app through our Rapid API technology.”

From Barron's • Apr. 29, 2026

Bonfig, who starts as CEO on Nov. 1, most recently oversaw the creation of Best Buy’s online U.S. marketplace and the expansion of its ads business.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 25, 2026

She was desperately wishing she could go out to the marketplace and look for her friends when there was a knocking on her front gate.

From "Finding Junie Kim" by Ellen Oh

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.