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

From groceries to legal advice, services are being redesigned to reach the customer—not the other way around. —Robin Philip, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025

Customers check out vegetables and other groceries at a supermarket in Tokyo on June 20, 2025. —Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 25 June 2025

Many consumers are using installment financing for everyday purchases, such as groceries. —Jade Walker, CNN Money, 24 June 2025

The report assigned a 1-10 score to each state, based on more than a dozen qualities, including overall living costs, housing costs, grocery costs, transportation costs, healthcare costs and availability, and the proximity of other seniors. —Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 23 June 2025

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

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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