marketplace

noun

mar·​ket·​place ˈmär-kət-ˌplās 

1

a

: an open square or place in a town where markets or public sales are held

b

: market

the marketplace is the interpreter of supply and demand

2

: the world of trade or economic activity : the everyday world

3

: a sphere in which intangible values compete for acceptance

the marketplace of ideas

Synonyms of marketplace

• commerce
• trade
• traffic

Examples of marketplace in a Sentence

Their products must compete in the marketplace.

The company has struggled to survive in a rapidly changing marketplace.

Recent Examples on the Web

Meeting those expectations will determine whether Corolla remains relevant in an increasingly crowded EV marketplace. — Peter Lyon, Forbes.com, 26 July 2026

Alibaba Shares of the China global online marketplace are too compelling to ignore, the investment bank says. — Michael Bloom, CNBC, 25 July 2026

The marketplace features all sorts of goods — clothes, books, cosmetics, toys, appliances, household items, sports gear and much more. — Dasha Litvinova, Fortune, 24 July 2026

Plaintiffs’ market definitions bear no relationship to the realities of today’s marketplace and cannot withstand scrutiny. — Gene Maddaus, Variety, 24 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for marketplace

• aerospace
• anatase
• anyplace
• commonplace
• cyberspace
• database
• diabase
• diastase
• dnase
• elastase
• fireplace
• hyperspace

Kids Definition

marketplace

noun

mar·​ket·​place ˈmär-kət-ˌplās 

1

: an open square or place in a town where markets are held

2

: the world of trade

Legal Definition

marketplace

noun

mar·​ket·​place ˈmär-kət-ˌplās 

: the economic system through which different companies compete with each other to sell their products