shop
/ʃɒp/ (bre, ipa) · /ʃɑːp/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈshäp/ (ame, mw)
shop — noun
- shopsingular
- shopsplural
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.
Most shops in this area close at nine in the evening.
- store
more common in American English; otherwise interchangeable
- retail outlet
more formal; used in business contexts
- boutique
small shop selling fashionable items or gifts
文法句型
a [type] shop
the shop on/in [location]
常見錯誤
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.
Christopher forgot to do the shopping and had to order takeout instead.
- shopping
the more common uncountable noun form; interchangeable
- grocery run
informal; specifically for food shopping
- errand
broader; any short trip to obtain something
文法句型
do the shopping
the weekly shop
a quick shop
用法筆記
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.
常見錯誤
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.
- 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)
文法句型
be in the shops
hit the shops
用法筆記
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.
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.
文法句型
a repair shop
a [type] shop
用法筆記
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.
常見錯誤
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.
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.
- 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
文法句型
run a shop
set up shop
close shop
用法筆記
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.
shop — verb
- shoppresent simple I / you / we / they
- shops3rd person singular
- shopping-ing form
- shoppedpast simple
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.
Eve and her grandmother shopped for ingredients at the morning market.
On rainy days fewer people come out to shop in the old town.
文法句型
shop at [store]
shop for [goods]
用法筆記
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.
常見錯誤
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.
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.
- 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
文法句型
shop + [type of product]
用法筆記
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.
常見錯誤
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.
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.
- 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
文法句型
shop [place/area]
用法筆記
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.
常見錯誤
❌ '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.
Iris refused to shop her classmate even though the teacher insisted she name the person who started the fight.
文法句型
shop someone (to the police)
用法筆記
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.
文法句型
shop [something] around
shop [something] to [buyer]
用法筆記
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.