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

Luckily, Austin gave the world two major grocery concepts, Whole Foods and Central Market. —Matthew Odam, Austin American Statesman, 7 July 2025

Ocado uses thousands of compact bots in its grocery warehouses. —Ron Schmelzer, Forbes.com, 7 July 2025

Her organization has great partnerships with the major grocery retailers in the area, but acknowledges that these corporations aren’t putting stores in every community because not all would be lucrative investments. —Briah Lumpkins, Charlotte Observer, 7 July 2025

With the cost of groceries rising by the day, items that always take a pricier spot in most people’s budgets face some serious re-negotiations. —Taylor Tobin, Southern Living, 6 July 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