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showroom

[shoh-room, -roo m]
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noun

a room used for the display of goods or merchandise.

verb (used without object)

to come into a store to view merchandise and then purchase it from a competitor, usually online, as to get a lower price or wider selection: For shoes, I usually showroom at a couple of stores, then buy them cheaper online.
to be used as a place to view rather than buy merchandise: No store wants to showroom for a website.

verb (used with object)

to display (merchandise) in a showroom.
to enter a store and view (merchandise) before purchasing it from a competitor, usually online.
to use or encourage people to use (a store) as a place to view rather than buy merchandise: The online retailers are showrooming us out of business. We’re being showroomed by consumers who browse our stores without buying.

RELATED WORDS

shop, market, emporium, chain, boutique, outlet, mill, store, stand, deli, supermarket, drugstore, room, hall, parlor, gallery, exhibit, salon, museum, studio

Origin of showroom

First recorded in 1610–20; show + room
Related formsshow·room·ing, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

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Historical Examples of showroom

British Dictionary definitions for showroom

showroom

noun

a room in which goods, such as cars, are on display
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
Word Origin and History for showroom
n.

"room for displaying furniture for sale," 1610s, from show (v.) + room (n.).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper