boutique

American  

[boo-teek] / buˈtik /

noun

• boutiques
  plural

1. a small shop or a small specialty department within a larger store, especially one that sells fashionable clothes and accessories or a special selection of other merchandise.

2. any small, exclusive business offering customized service.

   Our advertising is handled by a new Madison Avenue boutique.

3. Informal. a small business, department, etc., specializing in one aspect of a larger industry.

   one of Wall Street's leading research boutiques.

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adjective

1. of, designating, or characteristic of a small, exclusive producer or business.

   one of California's best boutique wineries.

boutique British  

/ buːˈtiːk /

noun

1. a shop, esp a small one selling fashionable clothes and other items

2. 1. of or denoting a small specialized producer or business

   2. ( as modifier )

      a boutique winery

3. a small specialized stall or shopping area within a supermarket, esp selling fresh meat, seafood, etc

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• boutiques
  plural

Etymology

Origin of boutique

1760–70; < French, Middle French, probably < Old Provençal botica, botiga (with Late Greek ē > ī ) < Greek apothḗkē; see apothecary, bottega

Explanation

A boutique is a small shop, especially one that sells women's clothes and jewelry. If you like to shop, you probably love going to all the little boutiques downtown. Boutique comes from a French word of the same spelling, which means any small shop. The word has its roots in the Greek word apotheke, meaning "a warehouse." The same root word also gave rise to the English word apothecary. The word boutique often has an air of exclusivity. The boutiques on Fifth Avenue in New York can be so expensive that you might feel like you can't even afford to walk in the door.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

boutique boutiques

The most visible piece is MiM Hotels, six boutique properties from Ibiza to Andorra, which Melia has run under a rental agreement since 1 November 2025.

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026

Pitkin County Dry Goods—a multibrand luxury boutique that’s become a regular stop for chichi shoppers—had its highest-grossing day in five decades this summer.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

After graduating from law school, he clerked for a U.S. district judge and then worked at a boutique litigation firm.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

The bank previously bought the energy-focused boutique bank Tudor Pickering Holt in 2016.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026

Then Belet had taken me straight to a discreet boutique hotel called Nineveh, whose manager had been great friends with Ishtar.

From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda

Aritzia expects new retail stores to contribute to the new growth targets, with 12 to 13 new boutiques and four to five boutique repositionings planned for the year, most of them in the U.S. market.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

Since his arrival a year ago at the helm of Chanel, Matthieu Blazy has created a buzz and sales frenzy at the classic French label, with customers queueing outside some boutiques for his latest collections.

From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026

Available at select Miu Miu boutiques and miumiu.com.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026

On a recent afternoon, English-speaking schoolchildren ordered colorful beverages at Starbucks in a slick shopping mall filled with premium boutiques and tech offices.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026

Beside the home bleachers, Ben and Mary Anne walked past les boutiques de Paris as “Moon River” was played by the band hired for the evening.

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy

Related Words

• booth
• store