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

More 2025 to 2024 Charlotte grocery comparisons Overall, most items in our shopping cart cost more than in 2024. —Charlotte Observer, 13 Jan. 2026

Wondering why everyone at the checkout line has fancy vinegars and beef tallow in their shopping carts? —Sophia Beams, Better Homes & Gardens, 13 Jan. 2026

During the incident, the woman pushed him, shoved a shopping cart at him and made derogatory remarks, according to police. —Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 13 Jan. 2026

Spector told me that, when customers abandon an item in their shopping cart, WhatsApp is six times more effective than e-mail at persuading people to complete their purchases. —Sam Knight, New Yorker, 12 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1934, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for shopping cart

• counterpart
• apart
• depart
• flowchart
• forepart
• impart
• pushcart
• rampart
• redstart
• restart
• subpart
• sweetheart