retail
Americannoun
adjective
adverb
verb (used with object)
-
to sell at retail; sell directly to the consumer.
-
to relate or repeat in detail to others.
to retail scandal.
verb (used without object)
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"Principles of Business," Vocabulary from Chapter 2
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Quartering Act (1765)
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
"It's the kind of headline you'd expect from M&S or Next," says retail analyst Natalie Berg, explaining that price cuts like this from such a low-cost retailer are surprising.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
Ultimately analysts think Primark's new pricing is in response to a highly competitive retail environment.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
Also in Yekaterinburg, Russian online retail giant Wildberries said it had evacuated its staff over a drone threat, but said its facility had not been damaged.
From Barron's ● Jul. 25, 2026
A slew of economic data is due before Friday’s BOJ decision, including Tokyo consumer inflation for July and industrial production, retail sales and employment figures for June.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
Dad asked me questions about economics and retail management and sports.
From "Out of My Mind" by Sharon M. Draper
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
In the world of men’s fashion, Florsheim is a widely available and decidedly midtier option; it typically retails for about $145.
From Slate ● Jun. 5, 2026
She zipped to The WSJ Money Interview in a Cadillac Escalade outfitted with an engine that roars like a race car and retails for around $180,000.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 10, 2026
With its cream-coloured, old stone buildings and blankets of bright yellow daffodils, the village appears to be an unlikely location for fly-tipping, even if the litter in question retails at more than £10 a bottle.
From BBC ● Mar. 27, 2026
Today there are spooky gumshoed armies of "security consultants," "rent-a-cops," "private eyes," "outside experts"—every manner of shady operator who retails in "results" and discretion.
From The Hacker Crackdown, law and disorder on the electronic frontier by Sterling, Bruce
Joe Jones, who helped to invent the device in the late 1990s and has written a book about the experience, said it succeeded because iRobot kept it affordable: The first generation retailed for about $200.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 12, 2026
They retailed for $399 and reportedly sold out immediately, or at least orders for them did.
From Salon ● Dec. 6, 2024
His latest pick, an embossed biker jacket from American fashion house Tom Ford, retailed for almost $9,000.
From BBC ● Jun. 6, 2024
It does not disclose detailed retailed sales but a spokesperson said they were positive in the third quarter and on a nine-month basis.
From Reuters ● Oct. 10, 2023
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
In December, Berkshire appointed a new president of consumer products, service and retailing businesses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 3, 2026
The upgrade comes after figures released last week showed the economy grew by 0.6% in the first three months of the year, led by a rebound in areas such as retailing and construction.
From BBC ● May 18, 2026
Berkshire reported higher profits from its railroad, energy, and manufacturing, service and retailing arms.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 2, 2026
It has become obvious since the launch of Amazon.com that there will be fewer winners in retailing.
From Barron's ● Apr. 9, 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
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.
