vendor
Americannoun
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law a person who sells something, esp real property
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another name for vending machine
Usage
What is a vendor? A vendor is a person or business that sells something, as in The school lunch really improved after it changed food vendors. A vendor is also a machine that dispenses items after you put money into it. It’s more often called a vending machine. Example: The vendor told me that the box has a scratch, so she’s selling it cheap.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of vendor
1585–95; < Anglo-French vendo ( u ) r < Latin venditor. See vend, -or 2
Explanation
If you are a vendor, it means you’re a person selling something, whether it’s hot dogs from a food cart or computer software for a tech company. The word vendor comes from the Latin word vendere, meaning “to sell.” Vendor is a name for people who sell things on the street, such as a hot dog vendor, but it can describe those who sell any kind of goods or services, especially a specialized product. A store at the mall isn't usually called a vendor, but you could use the word to describe the person or group that supplies the store with special products or services.
Vocabulary lists containing vendor
100 SAT Words Beginning with "V"
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The Lemonade War
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The Color of My Words
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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:
He said we still could apply to receive public money this school year, but as a vendor providing educational services such as tutoring.
From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026
A plastic game tray produced by an outside vendor nearly undid the project.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
"The water keeps coming in. It's hard to go out now. It's like at my waist level now," said Somkid Pheuk-ngam, 67, a vendor who lives near a canal just north of central Bangkok.
From Barron's ● Sep. 26, 2026
Four months after production services vendor Quixote said it would close much of its L.A. soundstage business, producer Manny Halley has leased one of its Pacoima facilities and plans to reopen it this fall.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
With a push from the old man, the vendor rolled to the comer and disappeared onto St. Charles.
From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
Syleecia Thompson, a business professor at National University, said that "it hits small businesses, vendors, caterers and local communities".
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
But vendors require permits that show the origin of the animals.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
In addition to these performances, Vicksburg PorchFest features local artists and food vendors and offers family-friendly activities.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 24, 2026
Trade at gasoline stations and fuel vendors was 0.9% lower in July, a second straight fall.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
This was where nearly everything was, including the open-air market with all sorts of different stores and the vendors who sometimes showed up outside with carts of samosas and kulfis.
From "Amal Unbound" by Aisha Saeed
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.
