grocery

noun

gro·​cery ˈgrōs-rē 

ˈgrō-sə-;

ˈgrōsh-rē 

plural groceries

1

groceries plural : the food and supplies sold by a grocer

—usually singular in British usage

2

: a grocer's store

Examples of grocery in a Sentence

She stopped to pick up some groceries for supper.

Recent Examples on the Web

Danish grocery chain Fotex has labelled products with a star, indicating that they are produced in the European Union. —Karen Gilchrist, CNBC, 11 Apr. 2025

People are already shopping online for everything from groceries to luxury goods, and spirits should be no different. —John Mariani, Forbes.com, 11 Apr. 2025

Tariffs are poised to increase the price of all sorts of goods, from groceries to technology to apparel. —Rachel Treisman, NPR, 11 Apr. 2025

The cost of groceries, on the other hand, rose 0.5 percent from a month earlier. —David Faris, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English grocerye, grosery "merchandise sold by wholesalers, the Grocers' Company of London," borrowed from Anglo-French grocerie, groserie, from groser "wholesale dealer in preserved foods, spices, wine, etc." + -ie -y entry 2 — more at grocer

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing grocery

• do (one's) grocery shopping
• go grocery shopping
• grocery bag
• grocery cart
• grocery list
• grocery store

Video

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Kids Definition

grocery

noun

gro·​cery ˈgrōs-(ə-)rē 

plural groceries

1

plural : food sold by a grocer

went out to buy the groceries

2

: a grocer's store