supermarket
Americannoun
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supermarkets
plural
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a large retail market that sells food and other household goods and that is usually operated on a self-service basis.
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any business or company offering an unusually wide range of goods or services.
a financial supermarket that sells stocks, bonds, insurance, and real estate.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of supermarket
Explanation
A supermarket is a store that sells groceries and other goods. Although supermarkets are primarily places to buy food, nowadays you can find everything from shampoo to toys to bestselling novels at a large supermarket. The distinguishing characteristics of a supermarket are that it sells food and household products, and that shoppers serve themselves, often pushing grocery carts and filling them with items. Though some people think of supermarkets as being much larger than grocery stores, others use the two terms interchangeably. This American-coined word first appeared in print in the early 1930s.
Vocabulary lists containing supermarket
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.
See Examples For:
Cereal boxes, Marion Nestle and Lisa Sutherland explain, are “billboards displaying marketing messages on supermarket shelves and breakfast tables across America.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
Michel-Edouard Leclerc, head of the leading supermarket chain E.Leclerc, said "refiners are lining their pockets" while it is impossible for retail distributors to compete.
From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026
Meanwhile, he said, shoppers who are more budget-conscious today are likelier to opt for, say, cheaper jewelry that might be sold in malls or supermarket chains.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026
My supermarket fairly regularly discounts a “gourmet blend” of cremini, shiitake and oyster mushrooms, and I love it.
From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2026
As we drive to the supermarket she reminds me that I still need to get my notebooks and some new clothes for school.
From "A Mango-Shaped Space" by Wendy Mass
Also among the top four are the Greens, who dominate in hip inner-city areas known for trendy cafes, organic supermarkets and cargo bicycles.
From Barron's ● Sep. 15, 2026
Americans still made choices in supermarkets and restaurants, but the menu of cheap possibilities had been shaped long before they arrived.
From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2026
The fuel powers farmers’ tractors and combines, and the rising price has made it more expensive to transport produce to supermarkets.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026
The Independent Grocers Alliance, comprised of 7,500 supermarkets, says fuel is 15% to 30% of the total cost of food.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 9, 2026
She grabbed her keys from the corner table by the door, and a book that looked like one of those romance novels they sell in the supermarkets.
From "When I Was the Greatest" by Jason Reynolds
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.
