Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

grocery

/ˈɡɹoʊ.s(ə.)ɹi/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: 4.06 in modern English

Syllables: gro-cery
IPA: /ˈɡɹoʊ.s(ə.)ɹi/

13

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

3

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Retail foodstuffs and other household supplies.

noun

A shop or store that sells groceries; a grocery store.

verb

To go grocery shopping.

Intransitive verb

verb

To furnish with groceries.

Transitive verb

Example Sentences

"1776: Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations Where ten thousand pounds can be employed in the grocery trade, the wages of the grocer's labour make but a very trifling addition..."
"1854: Henry David Thoreau, Walden I observed that the vitals of the village were the grocery, the bar-room, the post-office, and the bank..."
"We shopped and groceried on a cash basis, determined on that from the start."
"The thought of grocerying so casually at Seessel's evokes a giggle from Shirley"
"I was dependent upon others for grocerying and getting to doctor appointments."
"Sample usage: "If you're going grocerying, pick up some GMO — you know, Goat's Milk, Organic. But it has to be non-GMO GMO.""

Etymology

From Middle English grocerye, equivalent to grocer + -y. Compare gross. Doublet of groceria.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: grocerye
Suffix: grocer

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈɡɹoʊ.s(ə.)ɹi/
British English: /ˈɡɹəʊ.s(ə.)ɹi/

Usage

Inflected Forms

groceries (plural) groceries (present, singular) grocerying (participle, present) groceried (participle, past) groceried (past)

Derived Forms

greengrocery grocerant groceryman nongrocery

Phrases

grocery bag grocery cart grocery getter grocery haul grocery list grocery paper grocery shrink ray I'm looking for a grocery store

Frequently Paired Words

greengrocer grocer groceries

Synonyms

commodities general goods groceries packaged goods general store greengrocer's grocer's grocery shop grocery store market supermarket

Questions

How do you pronounce grocery?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈɡɹoʊ.s(ə.)ɹi/.
What does grocery mean?: Retail foodstuffs and other household supplies.
Where does grocery come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce grocery

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “grocery”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈɡɹoʊ.s(ə.)ɹi/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “grocery”.
Repeat and practice — Say “grocery” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.