grocer

American  

[groh-ser] / ˈgroʊ sər /

noun

• grocers
  plural

1. the owner or operator of a store that sells general food supplies and certain nonedible articles of household use, as soaps and paper products.

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grocer British  

/ ˈɡrəʊsə /

noun

1. a dealer in foodstuffs and other household supplies

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• grocers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of grocer

1325–75; Middle English < Old French gross ( i ) er wholesale merchant. See gross, -er ²

Explanation

Someone who sells food in a supermarket or convenience store is a grocer. If you can't find your favorite kind of cereal on the shelf, you should ask the grocer to help you. The owner or manager of a grocery store is a grocer. This word once meant "one who buys and sells in gross," or in large quantities, from the Anglo-French grosser. By the 16th century, grocer also meant "merchant selling food," but earlier that person would've been called a spicer. Your neighborhood grocer might sell fresh produce from local farmers, unlike that big box supermarket out by the mall.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

grocer grocers

From the shelves of bougie Los Angeles grocer Erewhon to private events at clubs like Casa Cipriani, Loonen water has become the chosen hydration of the chic, affluent and health-conscious.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

The bargain grocer is closing under-performing locations, including in San Diego and Orange counties.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026

In fact, the building's own website completely omits the discount grocer from its curated online neighbourhood guide, choosing instead to highlight pricier nearby options like Whole Foods and Brooklyn Fare.

From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026

Walmart is America’s largest grocer and was ranked the nation’s top retailer by the National Retail Federation, with U.S. retail sales of $576 billion last year.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026

The green grocer obliged with decaying bananas and half-rotted apples.

From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith

Incumbent US grocers may look with some concern at the insurgency Aldi pulled off since it entered the UK market in the 1990s.

From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026

The traditional "big four" grocers at the time - Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda and Morrisons - were slow to respond to the new competition, leaving the challengers to gradually pick off their shoppers.

From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026

An Agriculture Department official spoke last week with grocers including Walmart, Kroger and Albertsons, according to people familiar with the matter.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026

But five grocers are already within a two-block radius of that proposed Harlem store, with 10 more within five blocks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 17, 2026

When he stands it’s like he’s on display in one of Emmett’s fancy grocers.

From "A Bird Will Soar" by Alison Green Myers