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."
"Each vendor at the market has a small stall and a hand-written sign."
2
A machine that sells items automatically, such as a vending machine.
"There's a snack vendor on the second floor of the office."
"The vendor in the station swallowed my coins and gave me nothing."
"Our school installed a drinks vendor next to the sports hall."
How to use vendor
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishAnyone or anything — a person, business, or machine — that sells something.
Easily confused with
Common pairings
third-party vendor
street vendor
software vendor
vendor contract
Vocabulary Flow
Build your vocabulary from words like vendor.
Vocabulary Flow serves the next word, and the next — meaning, pronunciation and an example each time. Practice at your level, or learn English in your own language.
Start vocabulary practice
Word forms
- Plural
- vendors
- Third person singular
- vendors
- Past tense
- vendored
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").
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.'
Featured in
Vocabulary lists that include vendor:
