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shop

n. · v.
US //ˈʃɑp// UK //ʃˈɒp// shop
  1. 1 a place to buy things (n.)
    A1 Beginner

    a building or website where you can buy goods or services.

    a physical or digital establishment where goods or services are offered for sale to the public.

    Example

    I need to go to the grocery shop to buy some milk and bread.

    Example

    The small independent book shop struggled to compete with the aggressive pricing of major online retailers.
  2. 2 a workshop (n.)
    B1 Intermediate

    a place where people make or fix things, like a garage for cars.

    a room or building where manufacturing, repairs, or manual crafts are carried out.

    Example

    He spent the whole afternoon in his wood shop building a new table.

    Example

    The mechanic spent hours in the body shop repairing the dented wing of the vintage sports car.
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  1. 3 the act of shopping (n.)
    A2 Elementary British English

    the activity of going to buy things, especially food for the week.

    the act or instance of purchasing goods, particularly routine domestic supplies.

    Example

    I usually do the weekly shop on Saturday mornings when it is quiet.

    Example

    After completing the heavy grocery shop, she realised she had forgotten to buy the most essential ingredient for the dinner party.
  2. 4 work talk (n.)
    C1 Advanced Informal

    talking about work when you are not at work.

    discussion regarding professional or business affairs, especially when conducted outside of working hours.

    Example

    We promised not to talk shop during our holiday dinner.

    Example

    Even at the wedding reception, the two lawyers couldn't help but talk shop, much to the annoyance of their partners.

    Usage

    Usually appears in the phrase 'talk shop'.
  3. 5 to buy things (v.)
    A1 Beginner

    to visit stores or websites to look at and buy things.

    to visit commercial establishments with the intent of browsing or purchasing merchandise.

    Example

    We like to shop for clothes at the mall on the weekend.

    Example

    Many consumers now prefer to shop online for electronics to easily compare specifications and user reviews across different brands.
  4. 6 to report someone (v.)
    C1 Advanced British English Slang

    to tell the police or authorities that someone has done something wrong.

    to inform an authority about someone's criminal activities or whereabouts.

    Example

    He was angry because he thought his friend had shopped him to the police.

    Example

    The thief was eventually caught after an anonymous tipster shopped him to the local authorities for a reward.
Origin

From Middle English shoppe, schoppe, from Old English sċoppa (“shed; booth; stall; shop”), from Proto-Germanic skupp-, skup- (“barn, shed”), from Proto-Indo-European skub-, skup- (“to bend, bow, curve, vault”). Cognate with Dutch schop (“spade, kick”), German Schuppen (“shed”), German Schober (“barn”), French échoppe (“booth, shop”) (< Germanic). The verb is denominal. The noun senses “act of shopping”, “purchased items” are backformed from the verb.

Word family
Idioms4 entries

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