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Synonyms

shopping center

American  

noun

  1. a group of stores within a single architectural plan, supplying most of the basic shopping needs, especially in suburban areas.

Etymology

Origin of shopping center

First recorded in 1935–40

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.

After most appointments, my mom would pull her van into the Starbucks parking lot in the shopping center next door.

From Salon • Mar. 31, 2026

At the shopping center entertainment zone, they’re customers.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 3, 2026

The building with a red-brick facade and bright green letters anchors a small shopping center in the suburban area.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 1, 2026

Venezuela's "El Helicoide" was built back in the days of seemingly endless oil wealth and meant to be a flashy, space-age-looking shopping center.

From Barron's • Jan. 31, 2026

At an open shopping center on Valley Boulevard, they bought two canteens in a hardware store and some food in the supermarket.

From "Lupita Mañana" by Patricia Beatty

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.