bakery

American  

[bey-kuh-ree, beyk-ree] / ˈbeɪ kə ri, ˈbeɪk ri /

noun

bakeries plural

1. Also called bakeshop.  a baker's shop.

2. a place where baked goods are made.

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bakery British  

/ ˈbeɪkərɪ /

noun

1. Also called: bakehouse.  a room or building equipped for baking

2. a shop in which bread, cakes, etc, are sold

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Etymology

Origin of bakery

1535–45; baker + -y ³; now taken as bake + -ery

Explanation

A bakery is a shop that sells bread and other baked goods. Your neighborhood bakery might specialize in frosted cupcakes. Some bakeries are storefronts selling a selection of pies, cakes, breads, and cookies, while others are simply places where these items are made, to be sold in other shops. People who work in a bakery are bakers — their work involves mixing batter, kneading dough, and cooking baked goods in hot ovens. The earlier term was bakehouse, which was replaced in the US by bakery in the 19th century.

Example Sentences

By the Way now has four retail stores in New York City and nearby suburbs, as well as the wholesale bakery in Pleasantville, about an hour’s drive north of Manhattan.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 25, 2026

It’s usually just a humble baker’s rack pushed near the bakery section, but to me, it has the energy of a sample sale.

From Salon • May 22, 2026

When a local bakery near the square opens up, the owner distributes stale bread among the crowd.

From BBC • May 18, 2026

Her favorite is the fallen fruit cake, but the bakery also sells a flourless chocolate almond cake and German chocolate cake.

From Los Angeles Times • May 18, 2026

Helmuth rushes outside and turns east onto Süderstrasse, the street where the Kaltenbach bakery and several other Jewish shops are housed.

From "The Boy Who Dared" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti