vendor

noun

ven·​dor ˈven-dər 

 for sense 1 also  ven-ˈdȯr

variants or less commonly vender

ˈven-dər 

1

: one that vends : seller

2

: vending machine

Synonyms

• trader
• seller
• retailer
• distributor
• dealer

Examples of vendor in a Sentence

we're thinking of making a deal with that other software vendor

Recent Examples on the Web

Huawei's market share in China jumped to 18% in the second quarter versus 15% in the same period last year, and the company is now the biggest smartphone vendor in China, Counterpoint Research data showed. —Arjun Kharpal, CNBC, 4 Sep. 2025

Shop from art vendors, grab tasty bites to eat and, of course, sip on a glass (or two) of wine. —Caroline Ritzie, The Enquirer, 3 Sep. 2025

Those include making people verify old account information when requesting a change and requiring comptroller office staff to speak with a vendor’s representative on the phone to finalize an account change. —David Clarey, jsonline.com, 3 Sep. 2025

Shein is far from the first online retailer to run into trouble with third-party vendors hocking controversial wares or flouting policy standards. —Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 3 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Anglo-French vendur, vendour, from vendre "to sell" + -ur, -our -or entry 1 — more at vend

First Known Use

1594, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for vendor

• bender
• blender
• fender
• gender
• lender
• mender
• prendre
• render
• sender
• slender
• splendor
• tender

Kids Definition

vendor

noun

ven·​dor ˈven-dər 

: one that sells : seller

Legal Definition

vendor

noun

ven·​dor ˈven-dər, ven-ˈdȯr 

variants also vender

ˈven-dər 

: one that sells something