shopping

[ shop-ing ]

/ ˈʃɒp ɪŋ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR shopping ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the act of a person who shops.

the facilities or merchandise available to those who shop: Chicago has good shopping.

adjective

of, for, or pertaining to examining and buying merchandise: a shopping trip.

RELATED WORDS

spending, e-commerce, browsing

Nearby words

shoplift, shoplifter, shoplifting, shoppe, shopper, shopping, shopping bag, shopping bag lady, shopping basket, shopping cart, shopping center

Origin of shopping

First recorded in 1755–65; shop + -ing¹, -ing²

Definition for shopping (2 of 2)

shop

[ shop ]

/ ʃɒp /

noun

a retail store, especially a small one.

a small store or department in a large store selling a specific or select type of goods: the ski shop at Smith's.

the workshop of a craftsperson or artisan.

the workshop of a person who works in a manual trade; place for doing specific, skilled manual work: a carpenter's shop.

any factory, office, or business: Our ad agency is a well-run shop.

Education.

a course of instruction in a trade, as carpentry, printing, etc., consisting chiefly of training in the use of its tools and materials.
a classroom in which such a course is given.

one's trade, profession, or business as a subject of conversation or preoccupation.

verb (used without object), shopped, shop·ping.

to visit shops and stores for purchasing or examining goods.

to seek or examine goods, property, etc., offered for sale: Retail merchants often stock their stores by shopping in New York.

to seek a bargain, investment, service, etc. (usually followed by for): I'm shopping for a safe investment that pays good interest.

verb (used with object), shopped, shop·ping.

to seek or examine goods, property, etc., offered for sale in or by: She's shopping the shoe stores this afternoon.

Chiefly British Informal.

to put into prison; jail.
to behave treacherously toward; inform on; betray.

Slang. to try to sell (merchandise or a project) in an attempt to obtain an order or contract.

interjection

(used in a store, shop, etc., in calling an employee to wait on a customer.)

Origin of shop

1250–1300; Middle English shoppe (noun), Old English sceoppa booth; akin to scypen stall, shippon, German Schopf lean-to, Schuppen shed

Related formsin·ter·shop, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for shopping

Today, the city is an Asian hipster outpost, with shopping malls, clothing boutiques, and mixologist-prepared cocktails.
Cambodia’s Smoke-and-Mirrors Democracy|David Shaftel|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The woman in question, meanwhile, has business of her own to take care of—she is reported to be shopping a memoir.
From Playboy Prince to Dirty Old Man?|Tom Sykes|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Gift cards are sold at kiosks in shopping malls or even websites that catering to this exchange market.
The Insane $11 Billion Scam at Retailers’ Return Desks|M.L. Nestel|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In the shopping mall they follow me—in the Stanford shopping mall.
‘Why Have I Lost Control?’: Cory Booker in ’92 on Rodney King Echoes Ferguson|Cory Booker|November 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST

She flew first class, stayed in a luxury penthouse suite and was given money for shopping along with her pay.
Whip It: Secrets of a Dominatrix|Justin Jones|November 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The latter was thus left all alone with her shopping basket and her scarf.
Miss Mapp|Edward Frederic Benson
The boys had gotten home just two days before Christmas, and they spent their entire time the next day in shopping for presents.
The Rover Boys on Snowshoe Island|Edward Stratemeyer
But you know—” she laughed a little ruefully—“I sort of miss not having even the shopping to do.
The Real Hard Sell|William W Stuart
You could see that when the women folk went out to do their morning shopping.
People of Position|Stanley Portal Hyatt
Paris was not far away and had a good deal in the way of shopping to recommend it.
The Car That Went Abroad|Albert Bigelow Paine

British Dictionary definitions for shopping (1 of 2)

shopping

/ (ˈʃɒpɪŋ) /

noun

a number or collection of articles purchased

the act or an instance of making purchases

British Dictionary definitions for shopping (2 of 2)

shop

/ (ʃɒp) /

noun

a place, esp a small building, for the retail sale of goods and services

an act or instance of shopping, esp household shoppingthe weekly shop

a place for the performance of a specified type of work; workshop

all over the shop informal

in disarrayhis papers were all over the shop
in every directionI've searched for it all over the shop

shut up shop

to close business at the end of the day or permanently
to become defensive or inactive

talk shop to speak about one's work, esp when meeting socially, sometimes with the effect of excluding those not similarly employed

verb shops, shopping or shopped

(intr often foll by for) to visit a shop or shops in search of (goods) with the intention of buying them

(tr) slang, mainly British to inform on or betray, esp to the police

Word Origin for shop

Old English sceoppa stall, booth; related to Old High German scopf shed, Middle Dutch schoppe stall

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

Idioms and Phrases with shopping

shop

In addition to the idiom beginning with shop

shop around

also see:

bull in a china shop
close up (shop)
set up (shop)
shut up (shop)
talk shop

shopping

noun

adjective

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of shopping

Definition for shopping (2 of 2)

shop

noun

verb (used without object), shopped, shop·ping.

verb (used with object), shopped, shop·ping.

interjection

Origin of shop

Examples from the Web for shopping

British Dictionary definitions for shopping (1 of 2)

shopping

noun

British Dictionary definitions for shopping (2 of 2)

shop

noun

verb shops, shopping or shopped

Word Origin for shop

Idioms and Phrases with shopping

shop