grocer

noun

gro·​cer ˈgrō-sər How to pronounce grocer (audio) -shər How to pronounce grocer (audio)
: 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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
According to an announcement about the partnership, ALDI will also be the first national grocer on the platform to accept SNAP/EBT nationwide. Abigail Wilt, Southern Living, 25 Sep. 2025 The discount grocer has found success thanks to a plethora of private labels, which account for 90% of its selection, sold at prices usually marked below name brands. Jordan Valinsky, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 2025 For decades, the Roberts Cut Off Road home behind the dance hall belonged to the Maroon family, Lebanese-American grocers when Greek and Lebanese built a community around their truck farms in the valley of the West Fork of the Trinity River. Bud Kennedy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Sep. 2025 Most users celebrated the chain's alternative for various diets and dietary restrictions — for example, one noted, the store's non-dairy chocolate chips are delicious but also much more affordable than other grocers. Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 22 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for grocer

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of grocer was in the 15th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Grocer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grocer. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

grocer

noun
gro·​cer ˈgrō-sər How to pronounce grocer (audio)
: a dealer in food and household supplies

More from Merriam-Webster on grocer

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