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

If your shopping carts aren’t stuffed to the brim yet, keep scrolling for even more petite-friendly styles. — Melony Forcier, InStyle, 25 June 2026

Finalize your shopping cart and prepare your makeup bag for what’s to come. — Alisa Rendor, Footwear News, 23 June 2026

Sometimes an item grabs your attention from across the aisle—but try to keep your shopping cart or basket close by. — Wendy Rose Gould, Martha Stewart, 22 June 2026

Need some inspo on what to add to your shopping cart ahead of Prime Day 2026? — Meaghan Kenny, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 June 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