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noun Common

vendor

VEHN-duh

Vendor (noun) means a person or company that sells goods or services. Example: “The street was lined with food vendors selling tacos and fresh juice.”

noun
1
A person or company that sells goods or services.
"The street was lined with food vendors selling tacos and fresh juice."
"The company switched software vendors after the contract expired."
2
A machine that sells items automatically, such as a vending machine.
"There's a snack vendor on the second floor of the office."

How to use vendor

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishAnyone or anything — a person, business, or machine — that sells something.

Common pairings
third-party vendor street vendor software vendor vendor contract

Word forms

vendored past tense, vendors plural, vendors singular

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Fill the gap

Can you complete this real example?

The street was lined with food _____ selling tacos and fresh juice.

Etymology

Borrowed from Anglo-Norman vendor, from Latin venditor ("seller"), from vendere ("to sell").

Origin: Latin

Related words

Rhymes for vendor

See all rhymes for vendor →

Frequently asked questions

What does “vendor” mean?

The word “vendor” means a person or company that sells goods or services. In plain terms, anyone or anything — a person, business, or machine — that sells something.

How do you pronounce “vendor”?

“Vendor” is pronounced VEHN-duh (/ˈvɛn.dɚ/ in IPA).

How do you use “vendor” in a sentence?

Here is “vendor” used in a sentence: “The street was lined with food vendors selling tacos and fresh juice.”

What is another word for “vendor”?

Words with a similar meaning to “vendor” include merchant and seller.

What part of speech is “vendor”?

“Vendor” is a noun.

Where does the word “vendor” come from?

The word “vendor” comes from Latin. Borrowed from Anglo-Norman vendor, from Latin venditor ("seller"), from vendere ("to sell").

Is “vendor” a common word?

“Vendor” is a fairly common word in modern English.

How many meanings does “vendor” have?

“Vendor” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a person or company that sells goods or services.

What is the difference between a vendor and a supplier?

A vendor typically sells goods or services directly to end customers or businesses, while a supplier usually provides materials, components, or products further back in a supply chain, often to manufacturers or vendors themselves. In practice the terms overlap, and 'vendor' is commonly used in business and software contexts to mean any outside company providing goods or services.

What is a street vendor?

A street vendor is a person who sells goods, often food, directly to the public from a stall, cart, or stand in a public location rather than from a fixed shop.

What does vendor mean in a technology or software context?

In technology, a vendor refers to the company that sells or licenses software, hardware, or services to other businesses, such as a 'cloud vendor' or 'software vendor.'

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Definitions: FreeDict original editorial