grocer

noun

gro·​cer ˈgrō-sər  -shər 

: a dealer in staple foodstuffs, meats, produce, and dairy products and usually household supplies

Examples of grocer in a Sentence

Ask your local grocer if he sells organic fruits and vegetables.

Recent Examples on the Web

Private grocers underserve low-income neighborhoods because the margins don’t justify staying open there. — Nathan Goldman, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026

The fourth-generation Balducci could’ve set his sights on opening the city’s next Dean & Deluca, but after a few years of building out his team and growing the business, a gourmet grocer just wasn’t in the cards. — Sean Santiago, Vogue, 27 July 2026

Hailey Bieber’s beauty brand Rhode and its collaboration with luxury grocer Erewhon is a defining example of how physical retail can drive online virality for Gen Z retail brands. — Lauren Schuster, Miami Herald, 27 July 2026

The challenge for all independent grocers is getting that fresh-is-best message to break through to consumers who are pulled in countless directions by competing voices that most often have far bigger advertising and marketing budgets. — Denise Crosby, Chicago Tribune, 26 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English grocer, grosser "wholesale dealer in preserved foods, spices, wine, etc.," borrowed from Anglo-French groser, grosser, grossour (Middle French grossier), from gros "the greater part, the bulk," en gros "wholesale, in bulk" (derivative of gros, adjective, "large, great, coarse") + -er, -our -er entry 2 — more at gross entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for grocer

• closer
• grosser
• greengrocer

Kids Definition

grocer

noun

gro·​cer ˈgrō-sər 

: a dealer in food and household supplies