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

One of her proposals includes allowing local municipalities to eliminate the sales tax on groceries. — Sarah Kallis, NPR, 4 Nov. 2026

His tariffs and, in particular, go-it-alone war with Iran stoked inflation and sent the cost of gas, diesel, groceries and fertilizer soaring. — Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2026

Though non-health issues — gas prices, the cost of groceries, and the war in Iran — loomed large, broad voter support for congressional Democrats could be taken as a mandate for the party to take bigger swings on health care. — Sarah Todd, STAT, 4 Nov. 2026

On Tuesday, Husted lost his Ohio Senate seat to Democrat Sherrod Brown, who spent the campaign talking about grocery prices, gas prices and electric bills. — Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 4 Nov. 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

How Do You Pronounce 'Groceries'?

In American English, 'groceries' has several forms of pronunciation. But is one the "correct" way to say it? Editor Serenity Carr breaks down the various kinds of 'groceries.'

TRANSCRIPT

Whether you're a weekend shopper or a Tuesday afternoon one, chances are you buy these at least weekly: grōs-rēs, or maybe you buy grō-sə-rēs, or perhaps you buy grōsh-rēs. We do not judge, in fact, our dictionary says all three pronunciations are just fine.

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