gray market

noun

: a market employing irregular but not illegal methods

especially : a market that legally circumvents authorized channels of distribution to sell goods at prices lower than those intended by the manufacturer

Examples of gray market in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

On some looksmaxxing forums, men coach each other on how to administer filler on themselves, with materials obtained on the black or gray market. — Charles Trepany, USA Today, 7 Aug. 2026

But the gray market exploded several years ago, after the FDA placed many of them on a list that prohibited compounding pharmacies from making them due to safety concerns. — Will Stone, NPR, 3 Aug. 2026

Currently, some consumers get them online from a risky, unregulated gray market, without ever consulting a physician. — Jacqueline Howard, CNN Money, 31 July 2026

Recently, Overton has been involved in drafting new policies for the use of peptides, short chains of amino acids that are available on the gray market but that, in many cases, have scant scientific evidence to support their safety or efficacy. — Michael Scherer, The Atlantic, 24 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1934, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for gray market

• nonmarket
• premarket
• upmarket
• aftermarket
• patriarchate
• supermarket

Legal Definition

gray market

noun

: a market employing irregular but not illegal methods

especially : a market that legally circumvents authorized channels of distribution to sell goods at prices lower than those intended by the manufacturer