e-commerce

American  

[ee-kom-ers] / ˈiˌkɒm ərs /

Or ecommerce

noun

1. business that is transacted by transferring data electronically, especially over the internet.

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e-commerce British  

/ ˈiːˌkɒmɜːs /

noun

1. business transactions conducted on the internet

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Etymology

Origin of e-commerce

First recorded in 1990–95; e- ² + commerce

Example Sentences

Officials found that the cake chain he had ordered from listed nearly 380 locations on major e-commerce platforms but did not have a single physical store.

From BBC • Jun. 2, 2026

This announcement comes as many e-commerce companies are shifting their business models to AI to reduce costs by automating many roles.

From Los Angeles Times • May 29, 2026

The European Union opened an in-depth foreign subsidies probe into Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com’s JD -2.87%decrease; red down pointing triangle planned $2.6 billion takeover of German retail company Ceconomy.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 28, 2026

Analysts expect the Nasdaq-listed Chinese e-commerce giant to post stronger earnings.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 27, 2026

All of these interoperable banking and e-commerce functions flattened the Internet marketplace so radically that even eBay was taken by surprise.

From "The World Is Flat" by Thomas L. Friedman

Related Words

• browsing
• spending