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

Top EU officials don't directly name their target as the United States, but American tech dominates, from cloud computing to social media to e-commerce.

From Barron's • May 30, 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

Consumers in the bloc were very likely to come across illegal items on the Chinese e-commerce group’s platform, officials said.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 28, 2026

China’s market regulator fined seven e-commerce and food-delivery platforms in April, including Pinduoduo, Meituan, JD.com, and Douyin.

From Barron's • 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