market

1 of 2

noun

mar·​ket ˈmär-kət 

often attributive

1

a(1)

: a meeting together of people for the purpose of trade by private purchase and sale and usually not by auction

(2)

: the people assembled at such a meeting

b(1)

: a public place where a market is held

especially : a place where provisions are sold at wholesale

a farmers' market

(2)

: a retail establishment usually of a specified kind

a fish market

2

archaic : the act or an instance of buying and selling

3

: the rate or price offered for a commodity or security

4

a(1)

: a geographic area of demand for commodities or services

sell in the southern market

(2)

: a specified category of potential buyers

the youth market

b

: the course of commercial activity by which the exchange of commodities is effected : extent of demand

the market is dull

c(1)

: an opportunity for selling

a good market for used cars

(2)

: the available supply of or potential demand for specified goods or services

the labor market

d

: the area of economic activity in which buyers and sellers come together and the forces of supply and demand affect prices

producing goods for market rather than for consumption

market

2 of 2

verb

marketed; marketing; markets

transitive verb

1

: to expose for sale in a market

2

: sell

intransitive verb

: to deal in a market

Phrases

in the market

: in the position of being a potential buyer

in the market for a house

on the market

: available for purchase

also : up for sale

put their house on the market

Synonyms

Noun

• call
• demand
• request

Verb

• deal (in)
• merchandise
• merchandize
• put up
• retail
• sell
• vend

Examples of market in a Sentence

Noun

I stopped at the market on the way home for some juice.

They are trying to develop foreign markets for American cotton.

The company sells mainly to the Southern market.

New markets are opening up all over the world.

Advertisers are trying to appeal to the youth market.

targeting a more mature market

a reference work for the educational market

Verb

The company has spent millions marketing the latest version of its software.

These products are being aggressively marketed to teenagers through television ads.

He markets his wares at craft shows.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Medora Lee is a money, markets, and personal finance reporter at USA TODAY. —Medora Lee, USA Today, 26 Apr. 2025

Trump's tariffs and shakeup of global trade has rattled global and domestic markets, with Wall Street tanking over the past month, . —Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Apr. 2025

Verb

The new celebrity owners clearly bought into being ideal stewards of a downtrodden club, and the city of just under 45,000 embraced the unorthodox, reality-show approach to marketing the team. —Ian Nicholas Quillen, Forbes.com, 27 Apr. 2025

If these scientists succeed, technology will have helped produce a baby rhino that is 100% natural northern white rhino—not an imitation or amalgamation marketed as an ecological replacement. —Douglas McCauley, Time, 27 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English, probably from Continental Germanic; akin to Old Saxon markat marketplace, Old High German marcāt, both ultimately from Latin mercatus trade, marketplace, from mercari to trade, from merc-, merx merchandise

First Known Use

Noun

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Phrases Containing market

• anti-market
• bear market
• black market
• bull market
• buyer's market
• come on the market
• common market
• down-market
• fair market value
• farmer's market
• flea market
• free market
• gray market
• job market
• labor market
• market basket
• market capitalization
• market economy
• market forces
• market garden
• market maker
• market order
• market price
• market research
• market share
• market town
• market value
• mass-market
• meat market
• money market
• on the open market
• open market
• play the market
• pre-market
• price oneself out of the market
• price (someone) out of the market
• seller's market
• single market
• stock market
• sub-market
• take off the market
• test-market
• third market
• wet market

Rhymes for market

• aftermarket
• patriarchate
• supermarket
• nonmarket
• premarket
• upmarket

Kids Definition

market

1 of 2 noun

mar·​ket ˈmär-kət 

1

a

: a meeting together of people to buy and sell

b

: the people at such a meeting

c

: a public place where a market is held

especially : a place where provisions are sold at wholesale

2

: a store where foods are sold to the public

a meat market

3

a

: a geographic region in which things may be sold

markets for American cotton

b

: a particular category of people who might buy

the youth market

4

: an opportunity for selling

a good market for used cars

market

2 of 2 verb

1

: to deal in a market

2

: to offer for sale in a market : sell

marketing

-iŋ

noun

Etymology

Noun

Middle English market "market," derived from Latin mercatus "trade, marketplace," derived from mercari "to trade," from merc-, merx "merchandise" — related to commerce, merchant

Legal Definition

market

noun

mar·​ket

1

: the rate or price at which a security or commodity is currently selling : market price

2

a

: a geographical area of demand for commodities or services

seeking new foreign markets

b

: a formal organized system enabling the transaction of business between buyers and sellers of commodities

a futures market

see also stock market

c

: a specified category of potential buyers

the youth market

3

a

: the course of commercial activity by which the exchange of commodities is accomplished

the market is quiet

b

: an opportunity for selling

developing new markets

c

: the available supply of or potential demand for specified goods or services

the labor market

the market for durable goods

d

: the area of economic activity in which buyers and sellers come together and the forces of supply and demand affect prices