Grocery
Pronunciation
- RP IPA: /ˈɡɹəʊsəɹi/
- GenAm IPA: /ˈɡɹoʊsəɹi/, /ˈɡɹoʊsɹi/, /ˈɡɹoʊʃɹi/
Full definition of grocery
Noun
grocery
(plural groceries)- (usually groceries) retail foodstuffs and other household supplies.
- 1776: ,Where ten thousand pounds can be employed in the grocery trade, the wages of the grocer's labour make but a very trifling addition...
- 1850, Thomas Carlyle, , The present timeDid not cotton spin itself, beef grow, and groceries and spiceries come in from the East and the West, quite comfortably by the side of shams?
- A shop or store that sells groceries; a grocery store.
- 1854: ,I observed that the vitals of the village were the grocery, the bar-room, the post-office, and the bank...
Usage notes
When referring to goods, the singular form is primarily used attributively, as in a grocery bill, a grocery list, etc. The plural form, groceries, is much more frequently used to refer to actual goods, especially in the US.
Synonyms
- (retail foodstuffs and household supplies): commodities, general goods, groceries, packaged goods
- (store that sells groceries): general store, grocery store, market, supermarket