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Synonyms

retail therapy

British  

noun

  1. humorous the action of shopping for clothes, etc, in order to cheer oneself up

"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

Example Sentences

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See Examples For:

Times may be tough for many Americans, but the most popular therapy remains retail therapy.

From Barron's May 26, 2026

Sip on boba at the park We might do some retail therapy.

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 8, 2025

To make themselves feel better, they might engage in retail therapy, Jack said.

From Salon Feb. 1, 2025

A friend and I had popped to the Westfield for an afternoon of retail therapy.

From BBC Apr. 13, 2024

She always says that she’s having a bad month and she’ll make it up later, and she seems genuinely really stressed about money, but also she’s been doing a good amount of retail therapy.

From Slate Sep. 8, 2023

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