bodega

noun

bo·​de·​ga bō-ˈdā-gə 

1

: a storehouse for maturing wine

2

a

: wineshop

b(1)

: bar entry 1 sense 5a

(2)

: barroom

3

: a usually small grocery store in an urban area

specifically : one specializing in Hispanic groceries

Did you know?

Apothecaries, Bodegas, and Boutiques

Apothecary, bodega, and boutique may not look very similar, but they are all related both in meaning and in origin. Each of these words can be traced back to a Latin word for “storehouse” (apotheca), and each one refers in English to a retail establishment of some sort. Although bodega initially meant “a storehouse for wine,” it now most commonly refers to a grocery store in an urban area, especially one that specializes in Hispanic groceries. Boutique has also taken on new meanings: its first sense in English (“a small retail store”) is still current, but it now may also denote “a small company that offers highly specialized products or services.” Of the three words, apothecary has changed the least; it has gone from referring solely to the person who sells drugs or medicines to also naming the store where such goods are sold.

Examples of bodega in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

On January 8—one week after Zohran Mamdani was inaugurated as mayor of New York City on January 1—the model shared a carousel to Instagram that included a video of her twerking in what looks to be a bodega, wearing a black bra-like top and a black thong-baring semi-sheer skirt. —Rachel Burchfield, InStyle, 9 Jan. 2026

The older victim was still inside the bodega with a gunshot wound to the back when police arrived, a law enforcement source said. —Kerry Burke, New York Daily News, 9 Jan. 2026

Guy’s on Main The owner of Arthur Bryant’s, Guy’s Deli and more is opening a modern bodega. —Kansas City Star, 29 Dec. 2025

Another fatally struck a beloved bodega cat, and there has been at least one incident in which multiple Waymo vehicles got into a standoff where no car seemed sure how to proceed. —Patrick George, The Atlantic, 22 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Spanish, from Latin apotheca storehouse — more at apothecary

First Known Use

1656, in the meaning defined at sense 1