shop

1 of 2

noun

often attributive
1
: a handicraft establishment : atelier
2
a
: a building or room stocked with merchandise for sale : store
b
or less commonly shoppe : a small retail establishment or a department in a large one offering a specified line of goods or services
a millinery shop
a sandwich shop
3
: a commercial establishment for the making or repair of goods or machinery
machine shop
repair shop
4
a
: a school laboratory equipped for industrial arts education
b
: the art or science of working with tools and machinery
5
a
: a business establishment : office
a public relations shop
b
: shoptalk
talking shop

shop

2 of 2

verb

shopped; shopping

intransitive verb

1
a
: to examine goods or services with intent to buy
b
: to hunt through a market in search of the best buy
2
: to make a search : hunt
shopping around for a better idea

transitive verb

1
British : to inform on : betray
2
: to examine the stock or offerings of
shop the stores for Christmas gift ideas
3
: to offer for consideration or acceptance
especially : to offer for sale or in a trade
often used with around
shopping the manuscript around

Examples of shop in a Sentence

Noun I took the car to the shop to get new brakes. I am taking shop this semester. I made a table in shop. The wood shop is down the hall. Verb Where do you like to shop? I like to shop at locally owned stores. She is shopping for a new car. Many people now shop online. She's shopping her idea for a film. His own mother shopped him to the police.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Road Kill: This French Quarter clothing shop has shoes, bags and other rock 'n' roll, steampunk and rockabilly options. Carlie Kollath Wells, Axios, 24 Oct. 2024 There’s one shop, and in the summer there’s a restaurant. Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Oct. 2024
Verb
Retailers that made it through got a boost in 2021 and 2022 from extra federal stimulus payments and revenge spending among consumers eager to shop after being stuck at home. Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN, 25 Oct. 2024 Keep scrolling to shop more crossbody bags inspired by Jennifer Lopez now. Alyssa Grabinski, People.com, 25 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for shop 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'shop.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English shoppe, from Old English sceoppa booth; akin to Old High German scopf shed

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1806, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of shop was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near shop

Cite this Entry

“Shop.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shop. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

shop

1 of 2 noun
1
: a place of business : office
2
a
: a building or room where goods are sold retail
b
also shoppe : a small store offering a specialized line of goods
a gift shop
3
: a place where workers are doing a particular kind of work especially with machinery
a print shop
4
a
: a school laboratory equipped for industrial arts education
b
: industrial arts
take shop as a freshman
metal shop
5
: shoptalk
talk shop

shop

2 of 2 verb
shopped; shopping
1
: to visit shops for the purpose of looking over and buying goods
2
: to look for the best buy
shop around for a new car
shopper noun

Legal Definition

shop

noun
: a business establishment : a place of employment see also closed shop, open shop, union shop

More from Merriam-Webster on shop

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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