often attributive
1
: a handicraft establishment : atelier
2
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
shopped; shopping
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
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
Charles Singh, USA Today, 27 June 2025
The building changed hands a few times over the years, but its most recent former life was an auto shop.
—Jenna Thompson, Kansas City Star, 27 June 2025
Averi Baudler, People.com, 28 June 2025
Why is shopping at local, independent bookstores important? Local, independent shops are important anchors to the surrounding community.
—American Booksellers Association, USA Today, 28 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for shop
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
Costco warehouses are essentially one-stop shops for everything folks need for their daily lives.
—Charles Singh, USA Today, 27 June 2025
The building changed hands a few times over the years, but its most recent former life was an auto shop.
—Jenna Thompson, Kansas City Star, 27 June 2025
Verb
These savings won’t stick around forever, so keep scrolling to shop more Birkenstock sandals on sale at Gilt leading up to the holiday weekend.
—Averi Baudler, People.com, 28 June 2025
Why is shopping at local, independent bookstores important? Local, independent shops are important anchors to the surrounding community.
—American Booksellers Association, USA Today, 28 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for shop
Cite this Entry
“Shop.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shop. Accessed 9 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
shop
1 of 2 noun1
: 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
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