store-bought

American  

[stawr-bawt, stohr-] / ˈstɔrˈbɔt, ˈstoʊr- /

adjective

Chiefly Midland and Southern U.S.

1. commercially made rather than homemade.

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Etymology

Origin of store-bought

First recorded in 1900–05

Explanation

If you purchase something from a shop, you can describe it as store-bought. If you don't have time to cook for your friend's potluck, you can stop and pick up a store-bought lasagna on the way. This North American adjective was coined in the early 20th century, right around the time the first grocery stores opened in the U.S. In Britain, most people say shop-bought instead. Store-bought is a good word to use for distinguishing food that's sold in stores from homemade: "I made my grandfather's award-winning brownies for the bake sale, but I noticed that everyone else brought store-bought cookies."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

store-bought

Back in New Jersey, dinnertime with his biological family feels as cold and stale as their meal of frozen peas and store-bought white bread.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026

On the mid-July day when he began making social-media posts contrasting the risks of his vegetables to store-bought produce, he sold roughly $7,000 of lettuce—triple his normal sales.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026

Courtesy of Yankee Magazine’s Amy Traverso, this simplified rendition of old-fashioned chicken and dumplings starts with store-bought chicken stock, a rotisserie chicken and drop dumplings.

From Salon ● Jun. 29, 2026

Lutnick has started to make fermented vegetables at home in lieu of eating store-bought sauerkraut.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 2026

She’s got flawless dark-brown skin—I don’t think she ever gets a pimple—slanted brown eyes, and long eyelashes that aren’t store-bought.

From "The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas