marketplace

noun

mar·​ket·​place ˈmär-kət-ˌplās 

1

a

: an open square or place in a town where markets or public sales are held

b

: market

the marketplace is the interpreter of supply and demand

2

: the world of trade or economic activity : the everyday world

3

: a sphere in which intangible values compete for acceptance

the marketplace of ideas

Synonyms of marketplace

• commerce
• trade
• traffic

Examples of marketplace in a Sentence

Their products must compete in the marketplace.

The company has struggled to survive in a rapidly changing marketplace.

Recent Examples on the Web

Small business owners, gig workers, freelancers and early retirees are examples of those who turn to the ACA marketplace for insurance. —Greg Iacurci, CNBC, 24 Feb. 2026

The trio’s restaurant incubator transitioned into the tech platform inKind, which is a dual-sided marketplace for both consumers and restaurants. —Karoline Leonard, Austin American Statesman, 24 Feb. 2026

The syndication marketplace will also have a couple of vacancies with talkers The Kelly Clarkson Show and Sherri set to end after this season. —Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 23 Feb. 2026

Consider using an online marketplace to do so, which lists rates, lenders, terms and fees all in one easy-to-understand location. —Matt Richardson, CBS News, 23 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for marketplace

• aerospace
• anatase
• anyplace
• commonplace
• cyberspace
• database
• diabase
• diastase
• dnase
• elastase
• fireplace
• hyperspace

Kids Definition

marketplace

noun

mar·​ket·​place ˈmär-kət-ˌplās 

1

: an open square or place in a town where markets are held

2

: the world of trade

Legal Definition

marketplace

noun

mar·​ket·​place ˈmär-kət-ˌplās 

: the economic system through which different companies compete with each other to sell their products