Definition of boutique
1a : a small shop dealing in fashionable clothing or accessoriesb : a small shop within a large department store
2 : a small company that offers highly specialized services or products boutique wineries an independent investment boutique
From the M-W Editors
Recent Examples of boutique from the Web
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Dozens of wineries and tasting rooms, along with restaurants, bars and boutiques, have sprung up.
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These days, boutique hotels and shops are arriving alongside residential high-rises and offices of major corporations.
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The 21-and-over hotel will be a resort within a resort, offering a luxury boutique experience unlike any other in the county, said Tom McCartney, Viejas’ president and general manager.
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As a source of employment, coal is becoming almost a boutique industry: 50,600 nationwide.
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For Tcherassi, who has production facilities and boutiques in Latin America, suppliers in Europe and a retail store in Spain, Miami is a strategic home base.
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Of the 54.1 million people who had memberships to health or fitness clubs in 2014, 42 percent were members of a boutique studio, like TruHIT, according to the International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association.
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Mr. Goldberg, 59, is the president and owner of CEGO Custom Shirtmaker, a boutique in New York.
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Finding The Dress can be stressful AF for brides of every size — few boutiques carry a full range of sizes and the pressure to lose weight before the big day can come from every angle.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'boutique'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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.
Origin and Etymology of boutique
French, shop, probably from Old Occitan botica, ultimately from Greek apothēkē storehouse — more at apothecary
Other Business Terms
BOUTIQUE Defined for English Language Learners
boutique
playDefinition of boutique for English Language Learners
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: a small store that sells stylish clothing or other usually expensive things
BOUTIQUE Defined for Kids
boutique
playDefinition of boutique for Students
: a small fashionable shop
Law Dictionary
boutique
playLegal Definition of boutique
: a small company that offers highly specialized services or products; specifically : a small law firm that offers services in one or a small number of legal areas
Learn More about boutique
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See words that rhyme with boutique Spanish Central: Translation of boutique Nglish: Translation of boutique for Spanish speakers
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