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
Read on to learn more about those experts and some of their top travel suggestions, then shop bags that could work best for you. Kelsey Chapman, ABC News, 18 Mar. 2024 Dawn was breaking, and Max was staring out the window at the minarets and minimarts and Soviet-era apartment blocks, a big grin on his face, translating the Russian-language shop signs for me. Paul Tough, New York Times, 17 Mar. 2024 Complete with an extensive seating area and drive-thru, a grand opening date for the new shop was yet to be announced. Paula Soria, The Arizona Republic, 16 Mar. 2024 Positioned not just as a store, but as a community meeting hub, the shop has hosted everything from small gallery openings to movie nights that focus on esoteric aesthetic films. Kristen Bateman, Vogue, 16 Mar. 2024 The new shop is situated in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District, within walking distance of the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Highline. Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 14 Mar. 2024 There’s also a swing near the front of the shop, and a framed photo of Lawson’s mother sits near the cash register. Kailyn Brown, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2024 Cancer nonprofit shop’s upcoming sales A reader shared one of her favorite stores — the American Cancer Society’s Discovery Shop Oceanside — where she both shops and volunteers. Roxana Popescu, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Mar. 2024 The shop features coffee, baked goods, soups and sandwiches made from local ingredients, according to its website. Cathy Kozlowicz, Journal Sentinel, 6 Mar. 2024
Verb
The model was spotted shopping in the Cotswolds in a lowkey look that also held a piece of fashion history. Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 18 Mar. 2024 Mohr, a 54-year-old home health-care aide, mostly shops the clearance aisles. Abha Bhattarai, Washington Post, 18 Mar. 2024 Then, keep scrolling to shop more picks recommended by Christina Hall. Alyssa Grabinski, Peoplemag, 17 Mar. 2024 No worries, anyone who becomes a Co-op Member now through the end of the sale is eligible to shop the sale; just sign up here. Katie Jackson, Travel + Leisure, 16 Mar. 2024 The owners held a sale by invitation only on March 6 and 7 and now the store is open to the public to shop the remaining furniture. The Courier-Journal, 16 Mar. 2024 While anyone can shop the sale, Amazon Prime members can access extra benefits like fast, free shipping and free returns. Phoebe Sklansky, Parents, 14 Mar. 2024 Like Sam’s Club, Costco operates a membership-only model, where customers pay an annual fee to shop at its stores, which significantly contributes to the company’s revenue. Tiffani Jackson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Mar. 2024 The pieces will be available to shop at IKEA US starting in July, and more products will be added to the line in 2025. Sharon Greenthal, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 Mar. 2024

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 28 Mar. 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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