retail

[ ree-teyl for 1-4, 6; ri-teyl for 5 ]

See synonyms for retail on Thesaurus.com

noun

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

adjective

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

adverb

in a retail quantity or at a retail price.

verb (used with object)

to sell at retail; sell directly to the consumer.
to relate or repeat in detail to others: to retail scandal.

verb (used without object)

to be sold at retail: It retails at 50 cents.

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 tail²); (for the verb) Middle English retailen, from 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

How to use retail in a sentence

Anybody would forgive Kate Middleton for wearing a three-year-old dress that retailed for under $100 at a charity event.
Kate Middleton Is the Queen of High-Street Fashion | Tom Sykes | February 14, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
Incidentally, my hypothetical candidate could indeed be a Muslim, because the Jonah story is also retailed in the Koran.
Mitt's Mormon Predicament | Michael Tomasky | October 18, 2011 | THE DAILY BEAST
And among Bogsiders the conviction was rapidly retailed that the dead had been victims of a planned massacre.
Bloody Sunday: How the Truth Came Out | Harold Evans | June 16, 2010 | THE DAILY BEAST
The price of salt at one period of the long Peninsular war rose to £30 per ton, being retailed in Birmingham at 4l.
Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham | Thomas T. Harman and Walter Showell
That night my adventure was retailed to Mother at the hotel in the Rue de la Tremoille.
Paris Vistas | Helen Davenport Gibbons

Their teams and waggons haul it to the village, and in the dead of winter it is retailed to the cottagers at less than cost price.
The Hills and the Vale | Richard Jefferies
However, the cook had given him something else besides an insult—he had retailed gossip which kept the young man's thoughts busy.
Blow The Man Down | Holman Day
He took a mild interest in politics, and retailed gossip picked up at the Conservative Club.
Hyacinth | George A. Birmingham

British Dictionary definitions for retail

retail

/ (ˈriːteɪl) /

noun

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

adjective

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

adverb

in small amounts or at a retail price

verb

to sell or be sold in small quantities to consumers
(rɪˈteɪl) (tr) to relate (gossip, scandal, etc) in detail, esp persistently

Origin of retail

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.)

Browse