supermarket

The word “supermarket” means a large self-service shop selling food and household goods. In plain terms, a large grocery store, or figuratively any one-stop shop for a wide range of things.

“Supermarket” is pronounced soo-puh-MAH-kiht (/ˌsupɚˈmɑɹkət/ in IPA).

Here is “supermarket” used in a sentence: “I'll grab some milk at the supermarket on the way home.”

“Supermarket” is a noun.

The word “supermarket” dates back to around 1933. An American English coinage from super- + market, dating from 1933.

“Supermarket” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.

“Supermarket” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a large self-service shop selling food and household goods.

A supermarket is a large, self-service shop selling food and household goods, generally larger and offering a wider range of products than a smaller, traditional grocery store. In everyday speech the terms are often used interchangeably, though "supermarket" implies greater size and scale.

A supermarket focuses mainly on food and household goods, while a hypermarket is an even larger store that combines a supermarket with a department store, selling clothing, electronics, and other general merchandise under one roof. Hypermarkets are typically bigger in both size and product range.

Used figuratively, "supermarket" describes a place offering a wide range of products or services under one roof, extended to mean any setting with a broad, ready-made selection to choose from. It emphasizes abundance and variety rather than an actual grocery shop.