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
Synonyms
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.
See More
Recent Examples on the Web
Jason Motlagh, Rolling Stone, 26 Nov. 2023
The Commerce outlet mall was a rare spot to shop on Thursday, where most stores opened at 8 p.m. for 27 hours of continuous Black Friday buying, through 11 p.m. Friday.
—Carly Olson, Los Angeles Times, 24 Nov. 2023
That required him to find a repair shop in Spain and spend $300 to reattach the wheel.
—Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 24 Nov. 2023
Nearby shops and restaurants Georgetown is a popular destination for nightlife, dining and shopping.
—Hope Hodge Seck, Washington Post, 22 Nov. 2023
By the early 1990s, Adm. Toole was frequenting Capitol Hill Books, where its founder, Kerr, lived on the top floor and ran the shop on the lower level.
—Harrison Smith, Washington Post, 14 Nov. 2023
But the shop always has three standard flavors: a slightly salty, roasted pistachio; a dense, dark cacao; and olive oil, which is both bright and rich at once.
—Jorge Valencia Mariano Fernandez, New York Times, 14 Nov. 2023
Soldiers guard gas stations and the hulks of shops emptied of most everything including food, appliances, beer and liquor during the industrial-sized looting frenzy at outlets big and small — from Walmart and Sam’s Club to neighborhood groceries — that immediately followed the storm.
—Patrick J. McDonnell, Los Angeles Times, 13 Nov. 2023
Suddenly Eilish’s father, Patrick O’Connell, walks into the studio and tosses Eilish a set of keys — he’s brought her car back from the auto shop.
—Katcy Stephan, Variety, 13 Nov. 2023
Malia Griggs, SELF, 27 Nov. 2023
Retailer Sales Pages Want to shop Black Friday sales yourself?
—Medea Giordano, WIRED, 27 Nov. 2023
Check out more of the best Cyber Week deals to shop this week here.
—Anna Tingley, Variety, 27 Nov. 2023
And, luckily for you, most of these viral gifts are ready to shop ahead of Cyber Monday.
—Alexandra Domrongchai, Travel + Leisure, 27 Nov. 2023
Keep scrolling to shop more Nordstrom Cyber Monday deals now.
—Alyssa Grabinski, Peoplemag, 27 Nov. 2023
Vogue Shopping The insider’s guide to what to shop and how to wear it.
—Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 15 Nov. 2023
The script was completed before the writers strike but Sony, where Ryan is based with an overall deal, waited until now to shop the project to streaming services.
—Lesley Goldberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Nov. 2023
Photo: Taylor Glascock for The Wall Street Journal Customers shopping on the retailer’s website or app can still opt to have items shipped in two to four days via
FedEx
.
—Liz Young, WSJ, 14 Nov. 2023
See More
Noun
Denis used to sell soft drinks from a shop on Rue Tiremasse in Bel-Air, a rundown neighborhood of tumbling cinder-block buildings known as a hotbed of political unrest.
—Jason Motlagh, Rolling Stone, 26 Nov. 2023
The Commerce outlet mall was a rare spot to shop on Thursday, where most stores opened at 8 p.m. for 27 hours of continuous Black Friday buying, through 11 p.m. Friday.
—Carly Olson, Los Angeles Times, 24 Nov. 2023
That required him to find a repair shop in Spain and spend $300 to reattach the wheel.
—Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 24 Nov. 2023
Nearby shops and restaurants Georgetown is a popular destination for nightlife, dining and shopping.
—Hope Hodge Seck, Washington Post, 22 Nov. 2023
By the early 1990s, Adm. Toole was frequenting Capitol Hill Books, where its founder, Kerr, lived on the top floor and ran the shop on the lower level.
—Harrison Smith, Washington Post, 14 Nov. 2023
But the shop always has three standard flavors: a slightly salty, roasted pistachio; a dense, dark cacao; and olive oil, which is both bright and rich at once.
—Jorge Valencia Mariano Fernandez, New York Times, 14 Nov. 2023
Soldiers guard gas stations and the hulks of shops emptied of most everything including food, appliances, beer and liquor during the industrial-sized looting frenzy at outlets big and small — from Walmart and Sam’s Club to neighborhood groceries — that immediately followed the storm.
—Patrick J. McDonnell, Los Angeles Times, 13 Nov. 2023
Suddenly Eilish’s father, Patrick O’Connell, walks into the studio and tosses Eilish a set of keys — he’s brought her car back from the auto shop.
—Katcy Stephan, Variety, 13 Nov. 2023
Verb
Cyber Monday Deals Walmart Cyber Monday Deals Amazon If October’s Prime Day and this year’s Black Friday sale passed you by, don’t stress: There are still plenty of sizable discounts to shop at Amazon right now.
—Malia Griggs, SELF, 27 Nov. 2023
Retailer Sales Pages Want to shop Black Friday sales yourself?
—Medea Giordano, WIRED, 27 Nov. 2023
Check out more of the best Cyber Week deals to shop this week here.
—Anna Tingley, Variety, 27 Nov. 2023
And, luckily for you, most of these viral gifts are ready to shop ahead of Cyber Monday.
—Alexandra Domrongchai, Travel + Leisure, 27 Nov. 2023
Keep scrolling to shop more Nordstrom Cyber Monday deals now.
—Alyssa Grabinski, Peoplemag, 27 Nov. 2023
Vogue Shopping The insider’s guide to what to shop and how to wear it.
—Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 15 Nov. 2023
The script was completed before the writers strike but Sony, where Ryan is based with an overall deal, waited until now to shop the project to streaming services.
—Lesley Goldberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Nov. 2023
Photo: Taylor Glascock for The Wall Street Journal Customers shopping on the retailer’s website or app can still opt to have items shipped in two to four days via
FedEx
.
—Liz Young, WSJ, 14 Nov. 2023
See More
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
Phrases Containing shop
Dictionary Entries Near shop
Cite this Entry
“Shop.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shop. Accessed 4 Dec. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids 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
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
Nglish: Translation of shop for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of shop for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about shop
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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