bookshop

bookshop — noun

1. a place, in a town or online, where people can buy books

1.nounA2
Definition

a place, in a town or online, where people can buy books

Example

Aiko found a bird book in the small bookshop near campus.

find [book] in a bookshop

On rainy Saturdays, families crowd the children's corner of that bookshop.

Common collocations
  • independent bookshop
  • local bookshop
  • online bookshop
  • second-hand bookshop
  • bookshop window
Synonyms
  • bookstore

    the normal American English word for the same kind of place

  • bookseller

    often means the person or company selling the books, not just the shop

  • shop

    much broader and does not show that books are the main thing sold

Grammar Patterns

go to the bookshop

buy a book from a bookshop

work in a bookshop

Usage Note

More common in British English; American English usually prefers bookstore. It can name a physical store or an online seller.

Common Mistakes

We went to the library to buy a new comic.
We went to the bookshop to buy a new comic.
A library lends books, but a bookshop sells them.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

For this sense, bookshop is the usual British English word for a place that sells books. Bookstore is the normal American English equivalent, and many learners will also see it on international websites. Bookseller is close, but it often points to the person or company doing the selling rather than to the room or building itself. Library is different because people normally borrow books there instead of buying them. Shop is possible, but it is too general if you want to be clear. If Ravi bought a novel on the high street, bookshop or bookstore fits. If he borrowed it with a library card, library is the right choice.

bookshop ↗bookstore ↗bookseller ↗library ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • bookshop owner
  • bookshop window
  • bookshop counter
  • bookshop chain

Phrases

  • go to the bookshop
  • work in a bookshop
  • open a bookshop
  • buy a book from a bookshop

Prepositions

  • at the bookshop
  • in the bookshop
  • from a bookshop

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

Bookshop was formed in English by joining book and shop. Both parts have been in English since Old English, so the word literally means a shop for books.