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

Of course, the grocer isn't spilling the beans on what's inside each box just yet. —Michele Laufik, Martha Stewart, 16 June 2026

The first legal test came in 1959, a challenge brought by a Puerto Rican grocer in the Bronx named Jose Camacho, 58. —Robert Polner, New York Daily News, 13 June 2026

That mall has one large grocer, a Vons. —Roxana Popescu, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 June 2026

Join the intermittent flow of foot traffic that passes by the apartments, the satellite campuses, the cafes, restaurants, the hospitals and the corner grocers. —Luis Melecio-Zambrano, Mercury News, 10 June 2026

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