retail
Americannoun
adjective
adverb
verb (used with object)
-
retails,
present (3rd person singular)
-
retailed,
past participle, past
-
retailing
present participle
-
to sell at retail; sell directly to the consumer.
-
to relate or repeat in detail to others.
to retail scandal.
verb (used without object)
-
retails,
present (3rd person singular)
-
retailed,
past participle, past
-
retailing
present participle
noun
adjective
adverb
verb
-
to sell or be sold in small quantities to consumers
-
(tr) to relate (gossip, scandal, etc) in detail, esp persistently
Usage
What does retail mean? Retail is the sale of goods to the person who will actually use the goods. It is often used to describe the consumer goods industry, as in Jade worked in retail over the summer break to earn money for school. Retail is also used to describe something related to sales at retail, as in While the wholesale price is low, the retail price is much higher because the store’s rent is also very high. To retail is to sell directly to the consumer or to be sold at retail. Example: The retail store down the road has a sale on all sorts of good stuff today.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
retailsimple
-
retailssimple
-
have retailedperfect
-
has retailedperfect
-
am retailingprogressive
-
are retailingprogressive
-
is retailingprogressive
-
have been retailingperfect progressive
-
has been retailingperfect progressive
Past
-
retailedsimple
-
had retailedperfect
-
was retailingprogressive
-
were retailingprogressive
-
had been retailingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of retail
First recorded in 1375–1425; (for the noun) late Middle English, from Anglo-French: “a cut,” derivative of retailler “to cut,” from re- re- + tailler “to cut” ( see tail 2); (for the verb) Middle English retailen, from Old French retailler
Explanation
If you buy a pair of jeans at your neighborhood Chique Boutique, you’re buying retail, but if you go to China and buy a boatload of jeans directly from the manufacturer, you’re buying wholesale, which is the opposite of retail. If you make your living growing flowers, you may have a retail shop where you sell to people buying flowers for themselves, and you may also have a wholesale business, where you sell flowers to florists and supermarkets who sell your flowers to their customers. As you have probably figured out, the retail shops — the florists and supermarkets — add their own markup to the wholesale price you charge them, so they can make a profit, too.
Vocabulary lists containing retail
Material World: Shopping Lingo
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"Principles of Business," Vocabulary from Chapter 2
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Quartering Act (1765)
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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.
See Examples For:
Those businesses account for roughly one-third of the retail giant’s total operating income.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
Before examining more specifics about CVS, it’s proper to look at the condition of the drug retail sector generally.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026
Tiara Allen arrived on time to interview for a retail job.
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026
Employment in wholesale and retail trade in Canada continues to trend lower, falling by about 29,000 in October.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
I said, and recognized at once that I was on the brink of a dangerous condition known as retail burnout.
From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson
“If they’re going to have a car that has a road map to autonomy, and it retails for less than the average new car in the United States, that’s a pretty positive formula.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026
So if we stick to a toy that retails for $30 in the US, and therefore costs $6 to make in China, the cost of getting it to the states is 60 cents.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
The precious metal continues a two-week advance after weaker U.S. retails sales and softer consumer sentiment weighed on the dollar and reduced expectations of a rate hike, MUFG’s Soojin Kim writes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
The 14-inch MacBook Pro, which once sold for $1,700, now retails for $2,000, while the iPad Air increased from $600 to $750.
From Barron's ● Jun. 25, 2026
He is wit's pedlar, and retails his wares At wakes, and wassails, meetings, markets, fairs; And we that sell by gross, the Lord doth know, Have not the grace to grace it with such show.
From English Verse Specimens Illustrating its Principles and History by Raymond MacDonald Alden
The company’s revenue slid 2% to $25.9 billion, while gross profit per retailed vehicle fell 2.5%, to $2,253, in the fiscal year ended Feb. 28.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026
General admission passes to the three-day festival originally retailed at $649 and $549 for the festival’s two weekends, respectively, with VIP tickets priced at double.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 22, 2026
The Air Jordan shoe, designed by Peter Moore, first retailed in 1985.
From BBC ● Mar. 26, 2025
They retailed for $399 and reportedly sold out immediately, or at least orders for them did.
From Salon ● Dec. 6, 2024
An ounce of phosphorus retailed for six guineas–perhaps five hundred dollars in today’s money–or more than gold.
From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson
By this he meant that companies like CVS are facing increasing government skepticism about the wisdom of combining drug retailing, pharmacy management and health insurance under one roof.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026
Amazon and Walmart have taken on major roles in drug retailing, putting the squeeze on the pharmacy chains’ finances.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026
Teaming up with Amazon, the CEO added, would allow Delta to build on its use of Amazon Web Services and to take advantage of Amazon’s capabilities in retailing, gaming and video.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
But the tech won't come cheap - retailing at $2,195 in the US and £1,995 in the UK.
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026
“Well,” Dad said, leaning back, “it's very good of you and Alice to worry, Brian, but the retailing sector is holding its own and Greenland is robust.”
From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell
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