bodega

American  

[boh-day-guh, baw-the-gah] / boʊˈdeɪ gə, bɔˈðɛ gɑ /

noun

• bodegas
  plural

1. a small, independent or family-owned grocery store, usually located in a densely populated urban environment, traditionally serving a Hispanic clientele.

2. (in Spain)

   1. a wineshop.

   2. a warehouse for storing or aging wines.

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bodega British  

/ boˈðeɣa, bəʊˈdiːɡə /

noun

1. a shop selling wine and sometimes groceries, esp in a Spanish-speaking country

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• bodegas
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of bodega

First recorded in 1845–50 bodega for def. 2; 1965–70 bodega for def. 1; from Latin American Spanish, Spanish “wine cellar, wine shop,” from Latin apothēca “storehouse”; see apothecary

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Explanation

A bodega is a small corner store or market that sells groceries and wine. Many bodegas are located in Spanish-speaking neighborhoods of large cities. If you visit New York City, you'll see bodegas, little shops where people buy groceries and small items. A bodega is kind of like a convenience store such as 7-11 — it's small and more convenient than a supermarket. If you just need a few items, the bodega is the place to stop. The word bodega means "wine shop" in Spanish, and it shares a root with the French boutique: the Greek apotheke, or "store."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bodega bodegas

So yeah, you can go into the bodega and pretend to be American.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026

The city stores’ “core basket of goods” isn’t “really some of the stuff that the bodega owners offer.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 17, 2026

She started filling up her son’s closet, and soon enough, she found herself selling her other finds out of a bodega in her garage.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 3, 2026

There's a party in the bodega after, and the rugby matches that.

From Barron's ● Feb. 12, 2026

He would only buy food at the bodega down the block.

From "Seedfolks" by Paul Fleischman

You may miss stocking up in well-lit superstores but enjoy getting to know shopkeepers who run tiny bodegas.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026

This means the Mamdami Marts will be able to undercut prices at the private grocery stores and bodegas in their neighborhoods.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 19, 2026

Simba, a large cat with thick ginger and white fur, is one of thousands of felines that live in New York's corner shops known as "bodegas" -- even if their presence is illegal.

From Barron's ● Feb. 10, 2026

It was near midnight, and he was gliding between stalls and bodegas, activating the city’s Muslim community—roughly 9 percent of New Yorkers—with his now signature mix of warmth and urgency.

From Slate ● Nov. 12, 2025

We got bodegas on both ends, which is cool, and a whole bunch of what my mom calls "interesting" folks who live in the middle.

From "When I Was the Greatest" by Jason Reynolds

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Related Words

• convenience store
• trading post

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