noun
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a place where a public market is held
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any centre where ideas, opinions, etc, are exchanged
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the commercial world of buying and selling
Etymology
Origin of marketplace
Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at market, place
Explanation
A marketplace is a location where people buy goods. When you travel to a new city, you should visit a marketplace to purchase souvenirs for your friends back home. Marketplace often describes an outdoor market where vendors sell produce, meat, crafts, and other goods. Depending where you are, a marketplace might be called a bazaar, a palengke, or a souk. A more general meaning is an economic system or market, or simply the everyday world where things get bought and sold. You should probably test your new lasagna-flavored ice cream in the marketplace to see if anyone will want to buy it!
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.
“For a designer, it is a kind of paradise because this fierce competition in the marketplace is sparking a lot of creativity,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026
Americans on average paid over $2,200 in car-insurance premiums last year and nearly $2,950 in premiums for their homeowners coverage, according to Insurify, an insurance comparison marketplace.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 21, 2026
In the Netherlands, they pop up on a marketplace called Marktplaats.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026
Still, she said ongoing book bans are threatening those strides toward a more diverse literary marketplace.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 18, 2026
Since that morning in the marketplace, he had never again made use of Urim and Thummim, because Egypt was now just as distant a dream for him as was Mecca for the merchant.
From "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho
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.
