retailers

IPA/ˈriː.teɪ.lər/
KK[rˈitˌelɚz]IPA/ˈriː.teɪ.lɚ/

retailers — noun

  • retailerssingular
  • retailersesplural

1. a business or person that sells products directly to members of the public, rath

1.nounB1
Definition

a business or person that sells products directly to members of the public, rather than to other businesses for resale

Example

Aoi runs a small clothing retailer near the train station in Kyoto.

countable noun: a small clothing retailer

The retailer gave Shirin a full refund after she received the wrong item.

Common collocations
  • local retailer
  • online retailer
  • independent retailer
  • major retailer
  • clothing retailer
  • electronics retailer
Synonyms
  • seller

    more general term; can refer to anyone who sells, not necessarily to the public

  • merchant

    slightly old-fashioned; often implies a physical shop rather than an online business

  • vendor

    often used for someone selling at a market or through a stall

Antonyms
  • wholesaler

    sells goods in large quantities to businesses, not directly to the public

Usage Note

Frequently appears in the plural form ('retailers') when referring to the industry or a group of businesses. The singular ('retailer') refers to one specific shop or seller.

Common Mistakes

I bought it from a retailers.
I bought it from a retailer.
Use the singular form after 'a'.

retailers — verb

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All five words describe someone who sells items, but they differ in scope and context. 'Retailer' specifically refers to a business or person selling directly to the public — it is the most precise term for this sense. 'Seller' is the broadest; anyone who sells anything can be called a seller, whether at a garage sale, on an online marketplace, or in a wholesale transaction. 'Merchant' carries a slightly old-fashioned feel and often implies a physical shop selling a specific type of goods, such as a wine merchant or a textile merchant. 'Vendor' tends to suggest a smaller-scale operator, such as someone with a market stall or a street-food cart. 'Dealer' is typically used for specific product categories (e.g., art dealer, car dealer, antique dealer) and implies a degree of expertise in that category. For example, you would call a supermarket chain a 'retailer', not a 'dealer', and you would call a woman selling handmade bracelets at a Saturday market a 'vendor', not a 'retailer'.

retailer ↗seller ↗merchant ↗vendor ↗dealer ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • retail chain
  • retail store
  • retail price
  • retail industry
  • retail sector

Prepositions

Etymology

Old FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word 'retail' traces back to the Old French verb 'retaillier', meaning 'to cut off' or 'to trim'. It was formed from 're-' (again) plus 'taillier' (to cut). In the 15th century, this idea of 'cutting up' was applied to commerce: selling goods in small quantities, as if cutting a larger bulk into smaller portions for individual buyers. The noun form 'retailer' (a person who retails) appeared soon after.

First known use

15th century

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1