grocer's

IPA/ˈɡrəʊ.səz/
KK[ɡrˈosɚz]IPA/ˈɡroʊ.sɚz/

grocer's — noun

  • grocer'ssingular
  • grocer'sesplural

1. a small local store that sells food and household items, run by or named after t

1.nounA2
Definition

a small local store that sells food and household items, run by or named after the person who owns it.

Example

Élise stopped at the grocer's on her way home to buy milk and bread.

collocation: stop at the grocer's

There used to be a small grocer's on the corner before the supermarket opened.

typical setting: corner grocer's vs supermarket

Common collocations
  • the local grocer's
  • at the grocer's
  • go to the grocer's
  • the corner grocer's
Synonyms
  • grocery store

    standard American equivalent

  • corner shop

    British, emphasises small neighbourhood scale, may sell more than food

  • convenience store

    more modern, often open long hours; broader stock than a traditional grocer's

Grammar Patterns

at the grocer's

go to the grocer's

Usage Note

Chiefly British. The form with the apostrophe-s comes from 'the grocer's shop' and refers to the shop itself, not the person. American English usually says 'the grocery store' instead.

Common Mistakes

I work in a grocer.
I work in a grocer's.
'a grocer' is the person; the shop needs the possessive 's.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

These four terms all refer to small shops selling food, but they differ in region, scale, and stock. 'Grocer's' is chiefly British and traditional — it implies a small, often family-run shop named after its owner, focused on food and basic household items. 'Grocery store' is the standard American equivalent; it can mean anything from a tiny shop to a mid-sized supermarket. 'Corner shop' is British and emphasises location more than what is sold; it usually stocks food, newspapers, and odds and ends. 'Convenience store' is more modern and global, typically chain-run, with long opening hours and a wider mix of snacks, drinks, and household goods. For example, 'I bought milk at the grocer's' suggests a small neighbourhood shop, while 'I picked up milk at the convenience store' suggests a brightly lit chain branch open late.

grocer's ↗grocery storecorner shop ↗convenience store

Common collocations

Nouns

  • corner grocer's
  • local grocer's

Phrases

  • go to the grocer's
  • stop at the grocer's
  • the grocer's down the road

Prepositions

  • at the grocer's
  • to the grocer's
  • from the grocer's

Etymology

Old FrenchMiddle EnglishModern English

Formed from 'grocer' (a shopkeeper who sells food and small household items) plus possessive 's, originally short for 'the grocer's shop'. The pattern of naming small shops after their owners with apostrophe-s (the baker's, the butcher's, the chemist's) is a long-standing British convention dating to when such shops were typically family-run and known by the trader's name.