flea market

American  

noun

1. a market, often outdoors, consisting of a number of individual stalls selling old or used articles, curios and antiques, cut-rate merchandise, etc.

---

flea market British  

noun

1. an open-air market selling cheap and often second-hand goods

---

flea market Idioms  

1. A market, usually held outdoors, where used goods and antiques are sold. For example, We picked up half of our furniture at flea markets. The term is a direct translation of the French marché aux puces and presumably implies that some of the used clothes and furniture might be flea-infested. [1920s]

---

Other Word Forms

• flea-marketeer noun
• flea-marketer noun

Etymology

Origin of flea market

First recorded in 1920–25

Compare meaning

How does flea-market compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• swap meet vs. flea market

Example Sentences

Ricki Lake took to Instagram on Monday to share the “craziest” story of how a stranger had found her old family photos “at a freaking flea market.”

From Los Angeles Times

Sick City Records has several fundraisers and flea market pop-ups planned before the end of the year.

From Los Angeles Times

She got hers from a flea market, but it has becoming ever easier to buy knockoff furniture and home goods online.

From Barron's

“This is a dining hall, not a flea market,” she snapped.

From Literature

Shop for vintage goods at local flea markets A perfect Sunday usually starts with going to one of the flea markets — either the Pasadena City College Flea Market or the Rose Bowl Flea Market.

From Los Angeles Times