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

Alibaba, the e-commerce behemoth behind shopping platforms like Taobao, is known for its open-source "Qwen" AI models -- popular with programmers worldwide because they can be freely customised.

From Barron's • Apr. 24, 2026

The company said it was in the “final stretch” of its turnaround plans, which involve making more gear tailored to athletes’ needs and revitalizing its e-commerce division.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 23, 2026

He said: "The UK Biobank charity informed the government that it had identified that a data had been advertised for sale by several sellers on Alibaba e-commerce platforms in China."

From BBC • Apr. 23, 2026

UPS executives have said that handling returns is more complex and potentially offers higher margins compared with lower-value e-commerce deliveries.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 21, 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