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

The median rent for a one-bedroom apartment in Miami is $2,590, the sixth-highest of the 100 cities surveyed in the report published by rental marketplace site Zumper this week. —Catherine Odom, Miami Herald, 29 May 2026

Smaller agencies and independent firms are now implementing automation tools to remain competitive in crowded global marketplaces. —Craig Lebrau, USA Today, 29 May 2026

Many Americans have also purchased these plans via the Affordable Care Act health insurance marketplace. —Kate Dore, Cfp®, Ea,greg Iacurci, CNBC, 29 May 2026

The entire price increase is traceable to a geopolitical shock, not marketplace costs. —David S. Cohen, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 May 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