supermarkets

IPA/ˈsuːpəˌmɑːkɪts/
KK[ˈsupɚˌmɑrkɪts]IPA/ˈsuːpərˌmɑːrkɪts/

supermarkets — noun

  • supermarketssingular
  • supermarketsesplural

1. large self-service shops where people buy food and other everyday things for the

1.nounA1
Definition

large self-service shops where people buy food and other everyday things for the home

Example

Several supermarkets near the station stay open until midnight on Fridays.

supermarkets near the station

Many families compare prices at different supermarkets before buying rice and cooking oil.

compare prices at supermarkets

Common collocations
  • large supermarkets
  • local supermarkets
  • supermarkets stay open late
  • compare prices at supermarkets
Synonyms
  • grocery stores

    a common alternative, especially in American English, and often slightly broader in size

  • food shops

    a simpler and less specific phrase that can include smaller neighborhood businesses

  • hypermarkets

    usually much larger stores that also sell many non-food products

Grammar Patterns

supermarkets + sell + goods

shop at supermarkets

supermarkets near/in + place

Usage Note

Use this plural form when you mean more than one supermarket, either in one area or when speaking about such shops in general.

Common Mistakes

The supermarkets near campus is crowded at night.
The supermarkets near campus are crowded at night.
'supermarkets' is plural, so it takes a plural verb.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

These words all describe places where people buy food, but they are not always exact matches. Supermarkets is the most useful everyday plural term for large self-service food shops, especially when you are talking about several branches in one town or comparing prices across different chains. Grocery stores often refers to similar places, especially in American English, but the phrase can also include smaller neighborhood shops. Hypermarkets points to much bigger stores that mix groceries with furniture, clothes, or electronics. If you mean ordinary family shopping for food and household basics, supermarkets is usually the clearest choice.

supermarkets ↗grocery storeshypermarkets ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • shop at supermarkets

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The singular word supermarket joins super and market. It became common in the early twentieth century for large self-service food shops that offered more choice than older local markets. The plural supermarkets simply adds the regular -s ending when talking about more than one of these stores.

First known use

1931

1931, in the meaning defined at sense 1