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Synonyms

marketplace

American  
[mahr-kit-pleys] / ˈmɑr kɪtˌpleɪs /
Or market place

noun

  1. an open area in a town where a market is held.

  2. the commercial world; the realm of business, trade, and economics.

  3. any sphere considered as a place where ideas, thoughts, artistic creations, etc., compete for recognition.

marketplace British  
/ ˈmɑːkɪtˌpleɪs /

noun

  1. a place where a public market is held

  2. any centre where ideas, opinions, etc, are exchanged

  3. the commercial world of buying and selling

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of marketplace

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; market, place

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

A series of short bets made in the third quarter of 2025 on software companies including headhunter marketplace ZipRecruiter and IT-services provider Unisys initially failed to deliver.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026

What matters, she writes, is “the marketplace of ideas,” and “the case is textbook” because Colorado’s law “distinguishes between two opposed sets of ideas,” only one of which the state approves.

From Slate • Apr. 3, 2026

Comscore’s head of marketplace trends Paul Dergarabedian said it could be the year’s first film to surpass $100 million in domestic box office.

From Barron's • Apr. 1, 2026

“The broader signal to the marketplace is that the shield is wearing thin,” said Peter Jackson, a privacy and cybersecurity attorney in Los Angeles.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 28, 2026

He went straight into the town and entered the marketplace fearlessly, at the time when the multitude filled it.

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.