grocer

noun

gro·​cer ˈgrō-sər  -shər 

: a dealer in staple foodstuffs, meats, produce, and dairy products and usually household supplies

Examples of grocer in a Sentence

Ask your local grocer if he sells organic fruits and vegetables.

Recent Examples on the Web

Delegate dishes so the menu is a potluck, or outsource to a local restaurant, grocer, or caterer. —Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 13 Nov. 2025

The outbreak was forcing a shortage of eggs as well, leading some grocers to restrict how many dozens of eggs consumers could buy per visit. —Olivia Evans, Louisville Courier Journal, 12 Nov. 2025

Etharin Cousin, a former director of the United Nations World Food Program and founder of the nonprofit Food Systems for the Future, said the cutoff of SNAP benefits had immediate impacts on grocers and convenience stores of all sizes, most of which operate on slim profit margins of 1% to 2%. —Preston Fore, Fortune, 12 Nov. 2025

Free admission is in celebration of H-E-B Texas Recycles Day, which is an initiative from the grocer to support recycling facilities across the state and to maximize recycling efforts. —Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English grocer, grosser "wholesale dealer in preserved foods, spices, wine, etc.," borrowed from Anglo-French groser, grosser, grossour (Middle French grossier), from gros "the greater part, the bulk," en gros "wholesale, in bulk" (derivative of gros, adjective, "large, great, coarse") + -er, -our -er entry 2 — more at gross entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for grocer

• closer
• grosser
• greengrocer

Kids Definition

grocer

noun

gro·​cer ˈgrō-sər 

: a dealer in food and household supplies