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

Nobody trusted Grier’s talent evaluation, and that’s the most important part of his role as general manager, chief grocery shopper for the franchise. —Omar Kelly october 31, Miami Herald, 31 Oct. 2025

Major food delivery app DoorDash is waiving delivery and service fees on 300,000 grocery orders for SNAP recipients (a SNAP/EBT card must be linked to the customer’s account to activate this offer). —Ronny Maye, Essence, 31 Oct. 2025

Advocates and beneficiaries say halting the food aid would force people to choose between buying groceries and paying other bills. —Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 31 Oct. 2025

Amazon’s delivery enhancements are perhaps escalating the most in the grocery segment. —Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 31 Oct. 2025

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

Video

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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