bodega

American  

[boh-dey-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

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

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

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

After holding up an egg-cheese-and-jalapeño sandwich from a local shop, he announced, “I look forward to delivering for every single bodega owner.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 17, 2026

The sequence in Episode 2, when the bodega is raided and people are dragged away by the Anti-Vigilante Task Force, that was filmed before Los Angeles, before Minnesota — before all of it.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 6, 2026

Praised for warding off pests, so-called bodega cats are also a cultural fixture for New Yorkers, some of whom are now pushing to enshrine legal rights for the little store helpers.

From Barron's ● Feb. 10, 2026

I knew it was that bodega because I heard the owner, Hugo, say one time that they’re the only ones for fourteen blocks who use the blue cups.

From Absolutely Almost by Lisa Graff

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

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026

Private mini-markets and clothing stores with well-stocked shelves have largely supplanted state "bodegas" and ration books in the past five years since SMEs were introduced.

From Barron's ● Jun. 19, 2026

Lost will be the ungentrified bodegas that celebrate neighborhood regulars by thumbtacking Polaroid photos of them to the wall and let customers buy sandwich bread on credit.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 17, 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 go into different bodegas for water, Icees, chips, sunflower seeds, and it’s all as easy as the warm summer breeze.

From "Pride" by Ibi Zoboi

Related Words

• convenience store
• trading post