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

• 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

Related Stories The television industry was light years removed from today’s sprawling, global pay-TV marketplace at the time Levin arrived at USA Today’s New York office. —Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 5 Sep. 2025

Valdez Streaty suggests that last-minute shoppers compare offers across dealer websites and EV marketplaces. —Susan Tompor, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2025

For all their evident overlap, the two marketplaces serve different crowds — even as the boundary between art and design blurs (Basic. —Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2025

One of the kids even found a jersey with the singer’s face on it at the marketplace. —Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 4 Sep. 2025

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