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 of marketplace

• 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

Part of that leverage comes from having a multi-buyer marketplace rather than having just one or two buyers. —Kevin Giraud, Variety, 19 June 2026

There has also been speculation that FIFA has been shifting unsold tickets to secondary marketplaces, according to S&P Global’s Johnson. —Bloomberg, Mercury News, 19 June 2026

Some may seek commercial, unsubsidized coverage away from the ACA marketplace. —Howard Gleckman, Forbes.com, 19 June 2026

While the marketplace’s official sale starts on June 23, some brands are already slashing prices, including Avidlove. —Jessie Quinn, StyleCaster, 19 June 2026

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