shop
shop — noun
1. a building or a room inside a larger building where people can buy goods such as
a building or a room inside a larger building where people can buy goods such as food, clothes, books, or medicine in exchange for money
Shirin bought a birthday card from the shop on the corner.
from the shop — location preposition
The bookshop near the park sells children's stories in many languages.
compound noun: bookshop
Vinícius walked past the hardware shop just as the owner was closing the door.
A new furniture shop has opened on the high street beside the library.
a new [type] shop has opened
Most shops in this area close at nine in the evening.
- a shop opens/closes
- a shop sells something
- in a shop
- at a shop
- a book shop
- a clothes shop
- a coffee shop
- a gift shop
- store
more common in American English; otherwise interchangeable
- retail outlet
more formal; used in business contexts
- boutique
small shop selling fashionable items or gifts
Grammar Patterns
a [type] shop
the shop on/in [location]
Common Mistakes
2. the activity of going to a store or market to buy things that you need, especial
the activity of going to a store or market to buy things that you need, especially food and other household goods
Kasia does the weekly shopping every Saturday at the local supermarket.
do the weekly shopping — common collocation
I did a quick shop for milk and eggs on the way home from work.
a quick shop — set phrase
Noa offered to do the shopping so that Élise could study for her exam.
The weekly shop at the farmers' market takes Jabari about an hour.
the weekly shop
Christopher forgot to do the shopping and had to order takeout instead.
- do the shop
- do the shopping
- weekly shop
- quick shop
- big shop
- shopping
the more common uncountable noun form; interchangeable
- grocery run
informal; specifically for food shopping
- errand
broader; any short trip to obtain something
Grammar Patterns
do the shopping
the weekly shop
a quick shop
Usage Note
Usually used in the phrase 'do the shopping' or, in British English, 'do the shop'. Unlike sense 1, this sense does not refer to a physical location.
Common Mistakes
3. the state of being available for people to buy in stores, used especially in exp
the state of being available for people to buy in stores, used especially in expressions that describe when a product first becomes available to the public
The new album from the band will be in the shops next Friday.
be in the shops — availability phrase
Padma checked online to find out when the latest game console would hit the shops.
hit the shops — informal arrival phrase
Those limited-edition trainers are already in the shops and selling very fast.
Joon waited for the new phone model to be in the shops before upgrading.
- in the shops
- hit the shops
- arrive in the shops
- available
broader; not limited to physical store contexts
- on the market
for sale to the public, especially for larger products or developments
- on sale
available for purchase (not to be confused with 'on sale' meaning discounted)
Grammar Patterns
be in the shops
hit the shops
Usage Note
Only used in fixed phrases such as 'be in the shops,' 'be on the shops,' or 'hit the shops.' It does not combine with most other verbs or prepositions. Distinguish from sense 1, which refers to the physical building.
4. a room or building where people use tools or machines to create, maintain, or me
a room or building where people use tools or machines to create, maintain, or mend objects — for example, a woodworking section in a factory or a bicycle repair place in town
Tomás took his broken bicycle to the repair shop at the end of the street.
repair shop — compound for fixing things
The furniture shop has a large workshop at the back where workers build chairs and tables by hand.
Sari works in the paint shop of a car factory, checking the colour on every new vehicle.
paint shop — factory section compound
Defne's uncle runs a small woodworking shop behind his house where he makes custom shelves.
The mechanic said the car would be ready by Friday and sent it to the body shop.
body shop — vehicle repair compound
- repair shop
- body shop
- paint shop
- machine shop
- run a shop
Grammar Patterns
a repair shop
a [type] shop
Usage Note
Often appears as the second part of a compound noun (e.g., 'paint shop,' 'repair shop,' 'body shop'). Unlike sense 1, this sense is about production or repair rather than retail sales.
Common Mistakes
5. a company or other commercial organisation that buys and sells goods or provides
a company or other commercial organisation that buys and sells goods or provides a service to make money
Aarav's parents run a small tailoring shop in the old part of the city.
run a shop — operate a business
The coffee shop on the corner has been in business for over thirty years.
be in business — operating as a concern
Maeve decided to set up her own flower shop after working for a florist for ten years.
set up a shop — start a business
Several shops on this street had to close after the rent went up.
Mateo inherited the family grocery shop when his father retired last year.
- run a shop
- set up a shop
- close a shop
- own a shop
- family shop
- shop owner
- business
interchangeable but broader; can include online-only operations too
- establishment
formal term for any business or institution
- enterprise
more general; can refer to any business venture
Grammar Patterns
run a shop
set up shop
close shop
Usage Note
Focuses on the business entity rather than the physical building. The same word can refer to both the building (sense 1) and the business (this sense). Context clarifies which is meant: 'run a shop' = the business; 'walk into a shop' = the building.
all over the shop
idiomscattered or spread across many different places; in a disorganised way
Quan's tools were all over the shop after he finished fixing the sink.
The papers from the files blew all over the shop when the window opened suddenly.
talk shop
idiomto talk about your work with colleagues, especially in social situations where it may be boring for other people who are not in the same profession
Even at dinner parties, the two architects would talk shop for hours.
Let us not talk shop during lunch — we need a proper break from the office.
set up shop
idiomto start a business, especially by opening a store or office in a particular place
After years of selling online, Nia finally set up shop in a small space downtown.
The bakery decided to set up shop near the train station to attract more customers.
A person who behaves in a very clumsy or careless way in a situation that requires carefulness.
Maya entered the meeting like a bull in a china shop, knocking over a cup of coffee.
When Diego helps in the kitchen, he's a bull in a china shop and often breaks dishes.
To stop doing business permanently.
The local bookstore closed its doors after fifty years of serving the community.
Did you hear that the restaurant on Main Street closed its doors last week?
mind the shop
idiomTo be responsible for a business or activity while the usual person is away.
Sara asked her brother to mind the shop while she went to lunch.
Who will mind the shop when the manager takes a vacation next month?
shut up shop
idiomTo close a business permanently or to stop working for the day.
After the fire, the owners decided to shut up shop for good.
It's already eight o'clock, so let's shut up shop and go home.
shop — verb
1. to go to stores or markets to look at and buy things that you want or need, with
to go to stores or markets to look at and buy things that you want or need, without focusing on one particular product
I usually shop at the supermarket on Saturday mornings.
shop at [store] — location preposition
Shirin and Haruto spent the whole afternoon shopping in the city centre.
Asher prefers to shop online rather than deal with crowded stores.
shop online — digital context
Eve and her grandmother shopped for ingredients at the morning market.
shop for [goods] — item preposition
On rainy days fewer people come out to shop in the old town.
- shop at
- shop for
- shop online
- go shopping
- shop around
Grammar Patterns
shop at [store]
shop for [goods]
Usage Note
The most common verb sense of 'shop.' Unlike sense 2, this sense is intransitive — it does not take a direct object. Use 'shop for' + product type or 'shop at' + store name.
Common Mistakes
2. to look at a particular category of goods in shops or online, comparing styles a
to look at a particular category of goods in shops or online, comparing styles and prices, because you are thinking of buying something
Joon spent an hour shopping the sales racks but did not find anything he liked.
shop the sales — browse discounted items
Eve shopped several online stores for a good deal on a winter coat.
Padma loves shopping the vintage stalls at the weekend market for old jewellery.
shopping the [type of stall/market]
Tomás shopped the winter sale at three different department stores before choosing a suit.
Sari shopped the electronics aisle looking for a charger that would fit her tablet.
- shop the sales
- shop the aisles
- shop the market
- shop the clearance
- browse
similar meaning; can be used with or without a direct object
- look through
less formal; suggests a quick or casual search
- comparison shop
specific to comparing prices across sellers
Grammar Patterns
shop + [type of product]
Usage Note
Takes a direct object that names the type of product or the sale event being browsed ('shop the sales,' 'shop the clearance section'). Distinguish from sense 1, which is intransitive and does not take an object. Distinguish from sense 3, where the object is a location rather than a product type.
Common Mistakes
3. to visit a particular store, market, shopping district, or website in order to s
to visit a particular store, market, shopping district, or website in order to see what products are available there and possibly buy something
Christopher always shops the local farmers' market for fresh vegetables.
shop [place] for [items]
Defne shops the small boutiques in her neighbourhood whenever she needs a gift.
More people now shop the online marketplace instead of going to physical stores.
shop the online marketplace — digital location
Kasia and Maeve shopped the whole shopping centre looking for matching dresses.
Jabari usually shops the camera store on Elm Street because the staff know him well.
- shop the market
- shop the mall
- shop a store
- shop a website
- visit
more general; does not imply intention to buy
- browse around
informal; implies a casual, unhurried visit
- patronise
formal; means to be a regular customer of a particular store
Grammar Patterns
shop [place/area]
Usage Note
Takes a direct object that names a specific location (a store, market, area, or website). Distinguish from sense 2, where the object is a product category or sale event. Sense 3 answers 'where' you shop; sense 2 answers 'what type of product' you look at.
Common Mistakes
❌ 'I shopped dresses and then I shopped the new mall.' — Avoid mixing the two transitive uses in the same sentence, as they mean different things. Say 'I shopped for dresses and then visited the new mall.'
4. to give information about someone's criminal or secret activity to the police or
to give information about someone's criminal or secret activity to the police or other authorities, often done secretly in exchange for a reward or a lighter punishment
The police only caught the thief because one of his partners shopped him.
shop someone — idiom for informing
No one in the gang trusted Marco after word spread that he had shopped them to the authorities.
In the film, a frightened teenager shops the drug dealer to avoid going to prison herself.
shop [someone] to [authority figure]
Iris refused to shop her classmate even though the teacher insisted she name the person who started the fight.
- shop someone to the police
- shop a partner
- get shopped
Grammar Patterns
shop someone (to the police)
Usage Note
Strongly informal slang, mainly used in British English. In American English, 'rat on' or 'snitch on' is more common. The object is always the person being informed on. Can take a second object introduced by 'to' indicating the authority figure.
5. to present an item, a piece of writing, or a business idea to a number of possib
to present an item, a piece of writing, or a business idea to a number of possible buyers or publishers, trying to get at least one of them to pay for it or accept it
The author shopped her manuscript to eight publishers before one finally offered a deal.
shop a manuscript to publishers — business use
Quan's start-up is shopping its new app design around to several technology investors.
shop something around — phrasal pattern
The film producer shopped the script to every major studio in Los Angeles.
After the prototype was ready, the inventor shopped it to three different manufacturing companies.
- shop a script
- shop a manuscript
- shop a proposal
- shop something around
Grammar Patterns
shop [something] around
shop [something] to [buyer]
Usage Note
Common in creative and business industries — publishing, film, technology. Often used with 'around' (shop something around) to emphasise that multiple potential buyers are being approached. Unlike sense 4, this is not slang and has a neutral register.
shop around
phrasal verbto compare prices and quality of the same type of product or service at different stores or from different companies before deciding which one to buy
Vinícius shopped around for car insurance and saved over two hundred pounds a year.
It is always a good idea to shop around before buying a new laptop.