gray market

noun

: a market employing irregular but not illegal methods

especially : a market that legally circumvents authorized channels of distribution to sell goods at prices lower than those intended by the manufacturer

Examples of gray market in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Recently, Overton has been involved in drafting new policies for the use of peptides, short chains of amino acids that are available on the gray market but that, in many cases, have scant scientific evidence to support their safety or efficacy. — Michael Scherer, The Atlantic, 24 July 2026

Injectable versions of peptides are already being sold widely online for everything from muscle recovery to longevity via the unregulated or gray market. — Sara Moniuszko, USA Today, 24 July 2026

Proponents argue that the current Biden-era restrictions on compounding of the substances - due to safety concerns and a lack of data - have fueled a risky gray market of overseas suppliers. — Will Stone, NPR, 23 July 2026

Allowing the peptides to be compounded, Kennedy has argued, would move people away from the gray market and toward safer products. — Sara G. Miller, NBC news, 23 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1934, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for gray market

• nonmarket
• premarket
• upmarket
• aftermarket
• patriarchate
• supermarket

Legal Definition

gray market

noun

: a market employing irregular but not illegal methods

especially : a market that legally circumvents authorized channels of distribution to sell goods at prices lower than those intended by the manufacturer