Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

grey market

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.42 in modern English

Syllables: grey -mar-ket
IPA

20

Scrabble Score

10

Letters

3

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The buying and selling of goods through distribution channels other than those authorized or intended by the manufacturer or producer.

noun

The trading of shares before they are listed on the stock exchange.

Example Sentences

"The shortages have given rise to a grey market last seen shortly after the fall of the Soviet Union. According to Novaya Gazeta Europe, petrol is now openly advertised on Telegram and the marketplace website Avito, with sellers in Russian-occupied Crimea offering to deliver fuel by taxi within four hours at heavily inflated prices."

Etymology

By analogy with black market.

Inflected Forms

grey markets (plural) gray market (alternative)

Phrases

grey marketeer grey literature

Frequently Paired Words

grey literature

Synonyms

parallel market gray market

Questions

What does grey market mean?: The buying and selling of goods through distribution channels other than those authorized or intended by the manufacturer or producer.
Where does grey market come from?: By analogy with black market.

How to pronounce grey market

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