marketplace

noun

mar·​ket·​place ˈmär-kət-ˌplās 

1

a

: an open square or place in a town where markets or public sales are held

b

: market

the marketplace is the interpreter of supply and demand

2

: the world of trade or economic activity : the everyday world

3

: a sphere in which intangible values compete for acceptance

the marketplace of ideas

Synonyms

• business
• commerce
• trade
• traffic

Examples of marketplace in a Sentence

Their products must compete in the marketplace.

The company has struggled to survive in a rapidly changing marketplace.

Recent Examples on the Web

By third quarter, Gartner is predicting, 60 percent of consumers will have elected to delay a major purchase, with 60 percent buying on secondhand and peer-to-peer marketplaces by the end of the year. —Dan Gingiss, Forbes.com, 29 May 2025

The bill would make lawfully present immigrants – but not green card holders or citizens – ineligible for Medicare and for healthcare coverage on the Affordable Care Act marketplaces. —Ximena Bustillo, NPR, 28 May 2025

By division last quarter, Macy’s net sales, including owned and licensed and through the store’s marketplace format, were down 0.9 percent. —David Moin, Footwear News, 28 May 2025

The trooper contacted the owner of the misused registration plate and learned that the Acura had been recently sold on an online marketplace, according to state police. —Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 28 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for marketplace

• aerospace
• anatase
• anyplace
• commonplace
• cyberspace
• database
• diabase
• diastase
• dnase
• elastase
• fireplace
• hyperspace

Kids Definition

marketplace

noun

mar·​ket·​place ˈmär-kət-ˌplās 

1

: an open square or place in a town where markets are held

2

: the world of trade

Legal Definition

marketplace

noun

mar·​ket·​place ˈmär-kət-ˌplās 

: the economic system through which different companies compete with each other to sell their products