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

The card offers 2% cash back on a member’s top eligible spend category, such as gas stations or groceries, and 1% cash back on other purchases. — Dan Avery, CNBC, 30 Sep. 2026

DoorDash was founded as a restaurant delivery service in 2013 and added grocery delivery in 2020. — ABC News, 30 Sep. 2026

Feature updates to the Skylight Calendar 2 — particularly whether the photo-to-grocery-list and chore-reward tools expand to more household workflows. — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Charlotte Observer, 30 Sep. 2026

And as with the general population, health care, gas and grocery costs are top pain points. — Ali Swenson, STAT, 30 Sep. 2026

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

Video

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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