chemist's

IPA/kˈɛmɪsts/
IPA/kˈɛmɪsts/

chemist's — noun

1. in British English, a shop that sells medicines, beauty products, and similar ev

1.nounA2
Definition

in British English, a shop that sells medicines, beauty products, and similar everyday items, often with a pharmacist on site

Example

Sirin walked to the chemist's on the corner to pick up her cough syrup.

go to the chemist's for medicine

Is there a chemist's near here that stays open after nine?

indefinite article with chemist's as countable shop

Common collocations
  • go to the chemist's
  • at the chemist's
  • local chemist's
  • twenty-four-hour chemist's
Synonyms
  • pharmacy

    more formal; used in both British and American English

  • drugstore

    American equivalent; often larger and also sells snacks, cosmetics, cards

  • dispensary

    formal; usually a clinic or hospital section that hands out medicine

Grammar Patterns

at the chemist's

go to the chemist's

Usage Note

British English only. American English uses 'drugstore' or 'pharmacy'. Often preceded by 'the' even when speaking generally ('go to the chemist's'). The apostrophe-s comes from the older phrase 'the chemist's shop'.

Common Mistakes

I bought aspirin at chemist.
I bought aspirin at the chemist's.
the shop noun keeps the apostrophe-s and usually takes 'the'.
There is a chemists on the high street.
There is a chemist's on the high street.
singular shop still needs the apostrophe.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words name a place where medicines are sold, but they differ in region and tone. 'Chemist's' is everyday British English for a neighbourhood shop that sells medicines plus everyday items such as shampoo, makeup, and tissues; it always carries the apostrophe-s. 'Pharmacy' is more formal and works in both British and American English, often used on signs and in healthcare contexts. 'Drugstore' is the American equivalent of chemist's, typically larger and also stocking snacks, greeting cards, and household goods. 'Dispensary' is formal and usually refers to a clinic or hospital department where prescribed medicines are handed out, not a retail shop. Example: a British speaker says, 'I picked up my prescription at the chemist's,' while an American says, 'I picked it up at the drugstore.'

chemist's ↗pharmacy ↗drugstore ↗dispensary ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • chemist's counter
  • chemist's shelf

Phrases

  • the local chemist's
  • the corner chemist's
  • the all-night chemist's

Prepositions

  • at the chemist's
  • to the chemist's
  • from the chemist's

Etymology

GreekArabicLatinFrenchEnglish

Short for 'the chemist's shop'. From the 17th-century use of 'chemist' to mean a person who prepares and sells medicines, with the possessive 's marking the shop owned or run by that person — a pattern English uses for many small retail businesses (the butcher's, the baker's, the grocer's). The shop sense became fixed in British English by the 19th century as community pharmacies spread.