grocery

noun

gro·​cery ˈgrōs-rē 

ˈgrō-sə-;

ˈgrōsh-rē 

plural groceries

1

groceries plural : the food and supplies sold by a grocer

—usually singular in British usage

2

: a grocer's store

Examples of grocery in a Sentence

She stopped to pick up some groceries for supper.

Recent Examples on the Web

Every weekend, cars loaded up with groceries and goodies at Jacksonville's Sam’s Club and Costco stores zip out of the parking lot and down the street. —Alexandria Mansfield, Florida Times-Union, 8 Feb. 2026

Money that can be spent on groceries and rent, just as Mamdani rightly argues. —John Calvelli, New York Daily News, 7 Feb. 2026

Other clergy arrange haircuts and grocery deliveries to help meet people’s basic needs. —Anna Moeslein, Glamour, 7 Feb. 2026

This converts the Bilt Blue into a flat-rate 2X no-annual-fee card that earns transferable points; the Bilt Obsidian would earn 4X points on dining or groceries, and the Palladium would earn 3X points everywhere. —Jason Stauffer, CNBC, 7 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English grocerye, grosery "merchandise sold by wholesalers, the Grocers' Company of London," borrowed from Anglo-French grocerie, groserie, from groser "wholesale dealer in preserved foods, spices, wine, etc." + -ie -y entry 2 — more at grocer

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing grocery

• do (one's) grocery shopping
• go grocery shopping
• grocery bag
• grocery cart
• grocery list
• grocery store

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Kids Definition

grocery

noun

gro·​cery ˈgrōs-(ə-)rē 

plural groceries

1

plural : food sold by a grocer

went out to buy the groceries

2

: a grocer's store