# grocery

/ˈɡɹoʊsɝi/ (US) · /ɡɹˈəʊsəɹi/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/grocery
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. food and household items

noun · CEFR A2

food and other things for the home that you buy at a supermarket or store.

For teachers: foodstuffs and various household supplies sold by a grocer or at a supermarket. Usually used in the plural form 'groceries'.

- We need to buy some groceries for the weekend because the fridge is empty.
- After a long day at work, she stopped to pick up some groceries, including fresh produce and several household staples for the week ahead.

Usage: Commonly used in the plural when referring to the items themselves.

### 2. the shop

noun · CEFR B1

a shop that sells food and small items for the home.

For teachers: a retail establishment that sells food and household supplies; a grocery store.

- Is there a grocery near here where I can get some milk?
- The small independent grocery on the corner struggled to compete once the international supermarket chain opened a branch nearby.

Usage: Often used as an attributive noun in 'grocery store' or 'grocery bag'.

### 3. to go shopping

verb · CEFR C1 · Informal

to go out and buy food and household items.

For teachers: to engage in the act of grocery shopping. This use is informal and often intransitive.

- I spent the whole morning grocerying because we had no food left.
- They spent their Saturday morning grocerying for the upcoming holiday party, navigating the crowded aisles with a growing list of ingredients.

Usage: Usually used as a gerund or in the continuous tense.

## Examples

- I need to stop at the grocery on my way home.
- She spent nearly two hundred dollars on groceries to prepare for the family dinner this weekend.
- The local grocery has struggled to maintain its customer base since the opening of a massive supermarket chain just two blocks away.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.