bodega

noun

bo·​de·​ga bō-ˈdā-gə 

1

: a storehouse for maturing wine

2

a

: wineshop

b(1)

: bar entry 1 sense 5a

(2)

: barroom

3

: a usually small grocery store in an urban area

specifically : one specializing in Hispanic groceries

Did you know?

Apothecaries, Bodegas, and Boutiques

Apothecary, bodega, and boutique may not look very similar, but they are all related both in meaning and in origin. Each of these words can be traced back to a Latin word for “storehouse” (apotheca), and each one refers in English to a retail establishment of some sort. Although bodega initially meant “a storehouse for wine,” it now most commonly refers to a grocery store in an urban area, especially one that specializes in Hispanic groceries. Boutique has also taken on new meanings: its first sense in English (“a small retail store”) is still current, but it now may also denote “a small company that offers highly specialized products or services.” Of the three words, apothecary has changed the least; it has gone from referring solely to the person who sells drugs or medicines to also naming the store where such goods are sold.

Examples of bodega in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In season 7, Harry was arrested after getting into a fight with a bodega owner. —Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 14 Nov. 2025

The image is a recreation of a paparazzi photo from when Hilaria visited a bodega near their primary residence in New York City, according to the Times. —Natalia Senanayake, PEOPLE, 13 Nov. 2025

The shrine to a San Francisco bodega cat continues to grow a week after he was killed by a robotaxi. —Elisabeth Garber-Paul, Rolling Stone, 5 Nov. 2025

Zohran Mamdani greets a bodega worker before a press conference on October 29, 2025 in the Belmont neighborhood of the Bronx borough in New York City. —Kevin Williams, CNBC, 5 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Spanish, from Latin apotheca storehouse — more at apothecary

First Known Use

1656, in the meaning defined at sense 1