grocer

American  

[groh-ser] / ˈgroʊ sər /

noun

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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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

The family cuts back on costs by shopping at discount grocer Aldi and limiting entertainment expenses.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026

"When a grocer is faced with those sorts of pricing dynamics in an industry that has razor-thin margins, it makes it incredibly difficult to compete - and it contributes to closures," Van Dyck says.

From BBC • Mar. 11, 2026

Also read: Kroger’s stock may not look so hot to investors, but the grocer keeps buying.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 5, 2026

Trader Joe’s isn’t the only grocer dealing with food safety issues.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 25, 2026

“That’s the kind of customer we don’t want in the first place,” the grocer said.

From "Black Like Me" by John Howard Griffin