market

American  

[mahr-kit] / ˈmɑr kɪt /

noun

• markets
  plural

1. an open place or a covered building where buyers and sellers convene for the sale of goods; a marketplace.

   a farmers' market.

2. a store for the sale of food.

   a meat market.

3. a meeting of people for selling and buying.

4. the assemblage of people at such a meeting.

5. trade or traffic, especially as regards a particular commodity.

   the market in cotton.

6. a body of persons carrying on extensive transactions in a specified commodity.

   the cotton market.

7. the field of trade or business.

   the best shoes in the market.

8. demand for a commodity.

   an unprecedented market for leather.

9. a body of existing or potential buyers for specific goods or services.

   the health-food market.

10. a region in which goods and services are bought, sold, or used.

    the foreign market; the New England market.

11. current price or value.

    a rising market for shoes.

12. stock market.

---

verb (used without object)

• markets,
  present (3rd person singular)
• marketed,
  past participle,  past
• marketing
  present participle

1. to buy or sell in a market; deal.

2. to buy food and provisions for the home.

verb (used with object)

• markets,
  present (3rd person singular)
• marketed,
  past participle,  past
• marketing
  present participle

1. to advertise (something) to a target audience or for a recommended use: This movie was marketed as a horror film, rather than a drama.

   The vacation homes are marketed to retirees and other seniors.

   This movie was marketed as a horror film, rather than a drama.

2. to carry or send to market for disposal.

   to market produce every week.

3. to dispose of in a market; sell.

   Synonyms:

   peddle, merchandise, vend

idioms

1. at the market, at the prevailing price in the open market.

2. on the market, for sale; available.

   Fresh asparagus will be on the market this week.

3. in the market for, ready to buy; interested in buying.

   I'm in the market for a new car.

market British  

/ ˈmɑːkɪt /

noun

1. 1. an event or occasion, usually held at regular intervals, at which people meet for the purpose of buying and selling merchandise

   2. ( as modifier )

      market day

2. a place, such as an open space in a town, at which a market is held

3. a shop that sells a particular merchandise

   an antique market

4. business or trade in a commodity as specified

   the sugar market

5. the trading or selling opportunities provided by a particular group of people

   the foreign market

6. demand for a particular product or commodity

   there is no market for furs here

7. See stock market

8. See market price market value

9. at the current price

10. to wish to buy or acquire

11. available for purchase

12. 1. to speculate on a stock exchange

    2. to act aggressively or unscrupulously in one's own commercial interests

13. a market characterized by excess supply and thus favourable to buyers

14. a market characterized by excess demand and thus favourable to sellers

---

verb

1. (tr) to offer or produce for sale

2. (intr) to buy or deal in a market

market More Idioms  

1. see corner the market; drug on the market; flea market; in the market for; on the market; play the market; price out of the market.

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• marketer
  noun
• nonmarket
  noun
• submarket
  noun
• premarket
  verb
• remarket
  verb (used with object)
• undermarket
  verb (used with object)
• multimarket
  adjective
• unmarketed
  adjective
• well-marketed
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• markets
  plural

Participles

• marketing
  present
• marketed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• market
  simple
• markets
  simple
• have marketed
  perfect
• has marketed
  perfect
• am marketing
  progressive
• are marketing
  progressive
• is marketing
  progressive
• have been marketing
  perfect progressive
• has been marketing
  perfect progressive

Past

• marketed
  simple
• had marketed
  perfect
• was marketing
  progressive
• were marketing
  progressive
• had been marketing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will market
  simple
• will have marketed
  perfect
• will be marketing
  progressive
• will have been marketing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of market

First recorded in 1100–1150; Middle English market, market(t)e, markat(t)e, late Old English market, from Vulgar Latin marcātus (assumed), from Latin mercātus “trading, traffic, market”; see origin at merchant ( def. )

Explanation

Market is both a noun and a verb that have to do with selling. Companies that successfully market potato chips make people buy a big bag at the market. Are you in the market for a new pair of jeans? That means you are looking to buy. You might be the market, or likely customers, for a certain brand. The cost of those jeans will be whatever the market can bear, meaning the most profit that can be made, either by selling fewer pairs at high cost or lots of pairs at a lower cost. But if you buy them on the so-called black market, you might get a bargain price — only to find your new jeans aren't authentic — knock-offs of the real thing.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

market markets marketed marketing

During the pandemic, it traded as if mRNA would transform medicine overnight, with its market capitalization peaking near $200 billion.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026

Massie argued that temporarily dumping cheaper foreign beef into the American market could lower prices without giving U.S. ranchers an incentive to raise more cattle.

From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2026

The fight over the bond market isn’t only a Wall Street story.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 23, 2026

By week’s end, Moderna’s market value sat near $60 billion, up from about $25 billion pre-announcement.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026

“I’ll send a few girls to the spice market in Heathcote straightaway,” the cook replied.

From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood

Most regular attendees have decades of experience in markets.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026

In smaller states with fewer media markets, ad rates can rise quickly, especially when there are competitive governor and House races also competing for airtime.

From Salon ● Aug. 22, 2026

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's strategy involves a search for new markets, a focus on domestic trade and the launch of major projects.

From Barron's ● Aug. 22, 2026

Bessent has opened up a couple of cans of worms, said Lou Crandall, chief economist at Wrightson ICAP, which makes it harder for the Fed and the Treasury Department to communicate to the markets.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 21, 2026

Now a fairy tale was being reinvented before his eyes in the financial markets.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

The evidence will need to include proof it was marketed for sale for at least 12 months.

From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026

It had been marketed as “perfect for a school or embassy or an exceptional private home.”

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026

The funds are part of a surge in private vehicles being marketed to individual investors that operate outside the standard regulatory environment.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

"It's not a sought-after taste in wines, so even if they're still drinkable, they won't be marketed," he predicted.

From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026

People harvested it like hay and fed it to cows; entrepreneurs marketed kudzu cereal, kudzu dog food, and kudzu ketchup.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

Dr Wasim Ahmed, a senior lecturer in marketing at the University of Hull, says it comes down to people craving a sense of control, curiosity and relatability.

From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026

I asked Patrick more about the marketing lexicon of the moment.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

"They were so sought after, they were names that would hit the press and command attention right away," says Stacy Jones, chief executive of Hollywood Branded, a marketing and PR agency.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

I think the stories are awesome and intentional, and everything about it, from the planning of it to the marketing, has been from my soul, and I think it deserves several.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026

In the early 1900s, Madam C. J. Walker, an African American, became a millionaire by inventing and marketing hair care products to black women.

From "The Sun Is Also a Star" by Nicola Yoon

Related Words

• advertise
• display
• retail