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

Amber Greenwell, executive director of the America First Credit Union’s charitable foundation, based in Ogden, Utah, says the costs of gas, housing and groceries have risen sharply in her state and much of the West in the last year. —Christopher Rugaber, Los Angeles Times, 10 June 2026

That’s less than US inflation and less than overall grocery inflation. —David Goldman, CNN Money, 10 June 2026

The oil shortage also drove up diesel prices, putting upward pressure on grocery prices. —Max Zahn, ABC News, 10 June 2026

Corporate heavyweights like Visa and Stripe have also built out tools and protocols in anticipation of a future where bots will buy our groceries, manage our bank accounts, and pay for our video streaming subscriptions. —Ben Weiss, Fortune, 10 June 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

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