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

For starters, it is bundled with the broader Amazon Prime subscription, which offers customers free shipping for items ordered from the e-commerce giant, so consumers are less conscious of the cost of the TV service.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 4, 2026

Instead, Mahan’s candidacy was more like Pets.com, a famous e-commerce flop that came to embody the heedless froth of the dot.com bubble.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 3, 2026

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

The latest example came on Thursday when the EU kickstarted a probe into Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com's bid for major German electronics retail group Ceconomy on suspicion it was boosted by state subsidies.

From Barron's • May 29, 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