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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Pottery Barn’s fall decor launched recently, and one familiar face is filling shopping carts once again. Isabella Milano, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Oct. 2025 The Barn Jacket The barn jacket that dominated our spring shopping carts is back and better than ever for fall. Cortne Bonilla, Vogue, 8 Oct. 2025 And as my current shampoo is down to the last few drops, this is going into my shopping cart, stat. Alyssa Grabinski, PEOPLE, 6 Oct. 2025 In e-commerce, agents could observe a user’s behavior, shopping cart content, and purchase history to offer product recommendations in real time. Big Think, 6 Oct. 2025 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 17 Oct. 2025.

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