retail

[ ree-teyl for 1-4, 6; ri-teyl for 5 ]
See synonyms for: retailretailing on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. the sale of goods to ultimate consumers, usually in small quantities (opposed to wholesale).

adjective
  1. pertaining to, connected with, or engaged in sale at retail: the retail price.

adverb
  1. in a retail quantity or at a retail price.

verb (used with object)
  1. to sell at retail; sell directly to the consumer.

  2. to relate or repeat in detail to others: to retail scandal.

verb (used without object)
  1. to be sold at retail: It retails at 50 cents.

Origin of retail

1
1375–1425; (noun) late Middle English <Anglo-French: a cutting, derivative of retailler to cut, equivalent to re-re- + tailler to cut (see tail2); (v.) Middle English retailen<Old French retailler

Other words from retail

  • re·tail·er, noun
  • non·re·tail, adjective
  • non·re·tail·er, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

British Dictionary definitions for retail

retail

/ (ˈriːteɪl) /


noun
  1. the sale of goods individually or in small quantities to consumers: Compare wholesale (def. 1)

adjective
  1. of, relating to, or engaged in such selling: retail prices

adverb
  1. in small amounts or at a retail price

verb
  1. to sell or be sold in small quantities to consumers

  2. (rɪˈteɪl) (tr) to relate (gossip, scandal, etc) in detail, esp persistently

Origin of retail

1
C14: from Old French retaillier to cut off, from re- + taillier to cut; see tailor

Derived forms of retail

  • retailer, noun

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

Cultural definitions for retail

retail

A term describing businesses that sell goods directly to individuals. (Compare wholesale.)

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.