Skip to main content
supermarket

supermarket

244 1.0
A large store where you buy food and household items
  • noun
  • /ˈsuːpərˌmɑːrkɪt/
translation icon : supermercado
  • She found everything she needed at the supermarket for the dinner party.
  • shop at a supermarket
  • groceries at a supermarket
  • stores and supermarkets

We have TNT, we have other supermarkets, we have Walmart.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • I'm going to the supermarket.

  • You know who I met at the supermarket the other day?

  • Yes, it is hard to approach someone in the supermarket or at a bar.

  • So we just drove to a supermarket and we're doing some shopping.

  • My father worked at a big supermarket in the downtown area of San Fernando.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • A parent purchased the watermelon whole from a local supermarket on June 10.

    Academic text (1993)
  • Selecting items at the supermarket is increasingly becoming a test of consumers' morality and humanity.

    Academic text (2008)
  • The only things open are supermarkets and pharmacies.

  • Alfie's just got back from the supermarket with lots of snacks and nibbles.

  • Just recently, the local A&P supermarket announced that it will be separating compostable materials.

    Academic text (1995)

Synonyms

store
vssupermarket
1.0

A shop where people buy goods like food or clothes

is a specific large self-service format focused on food and essentials
shop
vssupermarket
1.0

A place where people buy things and pay for services

is a large self-service retail environment selling food and household items
grocery
vssupermarket
  • US
353 1.0

A shop that sells food and household items

is a larger self-service place organized into aisles
grocery store
vssupermarket
  • US
248 1.0

A shop that sells food and other everyday items

is larger and arranged for self-service across multiple aisles
retail store
vssupermarket
27 1.0

A shop that sells goods in small amounts directly to people

is a large self-service environment specialized in groceries and household items
general store
vssupermarket
16 2.1

A shop in a small town that sells many everyday things

is a larger self-service venue mainly for food and household items
superstore
vssupermarket
13 2.3

A very large shop that sells food, clothes, and things for the home

is centered on food and household goods with clear aisle layout
food market
vssupermarket
3 1.1

A shop or market that sells food and groceries

is more likely a large self-service location with organized aisles
supercenter
vssupermarket
  • US
3 3.4

A very large store that sells food and many other things under one roof

is more specifically a self-service food and household shopping format
food shop
vssupermarket
1 1.0

A shop that sells ready-to-eat meals and other food

focuses more on larger self-service selection across many aisles
hypermarket
vssupermarket
1 3.8

A very large store that sells many things like food and clothes, often outside town

is similar but typically smaller and centered on food and household aisles

How Big

warehouse
332 1.4
hypermarket
1 3.8
supermarket
244 1.0
grocery store
  • US
248 1.0
stall
38 1.0

Surface Forms

supermarket singular
supermarkets plural

Morphology

supermarket = market (semi-transparent) = super + market

The components suggest a large or enhanced market, but the modern sense refers to a specific self-service retail store.

Etymology

Supermarket is made from super- (meaning 'over' or 'very big') and market, so it literally means a bigger or more powerful market. That's why a supermarket is a large self-service shop where you can buy groceries and household goods all in one place.