shopping cart

noun

1
: a metal or plastic cart with four small wheels that is used for holding merchandise when shopping (as at a supermarket or department store)
… about the only amenities besides the jumbo-sized shopping carts are a few flatbed dollies to allow shoppers to get large appliances like refrigerators and washing machines to the cash register and then out to the parking lot.—Jean Crichton
2
: a temporary record of items selected for eventual purchase from an online vendor's website
To set up shop on the Internet, you need a commerce-enabled Web site, which includes the electronic shopping cart; a connection to the credit card network; and finally, a merchant account …—Tom Negrino
Delivery charges are the No. 1 reason shoppers abandon a virtual shopping cart, according to Jupiter Media Metrix. Every Internet shopper has a shipping-charge horror story.—Ellen Neuborn

Examples of shopping cart in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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The site may still need essential cookies for things such as your shopping cart, security and payment. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 29 Sep. 2026 But the sight of a man sleeping atop the shelter next to a shopping cart caught the attention of onlookers, some of whom pulled out their phones to take pictures, as first reported by KTLA. — Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026 In response, Tiki shared another video on TikTok, in which he could be seen pushing a shopping cart with dozens of floral arrangements. — Nicholas Rice, PEOPLE, 26 Sep. 2026 Then yogurt showed up, Greek yogurt followed and cottage cheese quietly disappeared from most shopping carts. — Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 22 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for shopping cart

Word History

First Known Use

1934, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of shopping cart was in 1934

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Cite this Entry

“Shopping cart.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shopping%20cart. Accessed 3 Oct. 2026.

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