bazaar
Americannoun
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(esp in the Orient) a market area, esp a street of small stalls
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a sale in aid of charity, esp of miscellaneous secondhand or handmade articles
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a shop where a large variety of goods is sold
Etymology
Origin of bazaar
1590–1600; earlier bazarro < Italian ≪ Persian bāzār market
Explanation
A bazaar is a market that has rows and rows of little shops selling miscellaneous stuff — like tube socks, velvet paintings, and corn on the cob. Bazaar is originally a Persian word, and means "marketplace" all over the Middle East. The word was picked up by the Italians, and spread through Europe and into English. At a bazaar in Istanbul, you'd find food, electronics, clothes — useful stuff. In English, we tend to use bazaar for something closer to a flea market. Although they sound alike, bazaar has no relation to bizarre (the super weird).
Vocabulary lists containing bazaar
Commonly Confused Words, List 1
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"Shooting an Elephant" by George Orwell
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Commonly Confused Words, List 3
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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.
In that case, Bazaar was charged with stealing more than 1,800 wild turtles from Florida streams, selling them to a co-conspirator specializing in the Asian pet market for more than $550,000.
From Los Angeles Times • May 16, 2026
More than a dozen people were injured in the incident in the Soldier Bazaar neighbourhood of Karachi at around 4:00 am, when Muslim families start preparing sehri, the pre-sunrise meal eaten during Ramadan.
From Barron's • Feb. 19, 2026
“Without access to reserves, the artificial pressure on the rial won’t subside,” said Esfandyar Batmanghelidj, chief executive of Iran-focused think tank Bourse & Bazaar.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 3, 2026
The protests began on Sunday after shopkeepers in Tehran's Grand Bazaar staged a strike when the Iranian rial hit a record low against the US dollar on the open market.
From BBC • Dec. 30, 2025
“Two little girls entering the Night Bazaar with enchanted objects bearing the marks of Lord Indra and the Dharma Raja? How curious.”
From "Aru Shah and the End of Time" by Roshani Chokshi
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.
