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wet market

American  
[wet mahr-kit] / ˈwɛt ˈmɑr kɪt /

noun

  1. (especially in China and Southeast Asia) a usually open-air market selling perishable food, as meat, seafood, vegetables, and fruit, and often live animals slaughtered on-site.


Etymology

Origin of wet market

First recorded in 1975–80

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.

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These risks include a Chernobyl-like or Chinese wet market accident—a mass disruption event in a form we might not even be able to visualize right now.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

Restaurant worker Dong went to a wet market in central Beijing around lunchtime on Thursday, but did not buy anything.

From Reuters ● Aug. 10, 2023

It wasn't initially clear that raccoon dogs were even at the wet market in Wuhan until later evidence emerged in 2020 revealing the animals were illegally kept at the marketplace.

From Salon ● Mar. 21, 2023

The virus was initially blamed on a wet market in Wuhan.

From Washington Times ● Mar. 20, 2023

The institute is a 40-minute drive from the Huanan wet market where the first cluster of infections emerged in Wuhan.

From BBC ● Mar. 1, 2023

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