What does "shop" mean?
An establishment that sells goods or services to the public; originally only a physical location, but now a virtual establishment as well.
Shop
/ʃɒp/ intj, name, noun, verb, slang
intj, name, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An establishment that sells goods or services to the public; originally only a physical location, but now a virtual establishment as well.
- Grammar: shop is listed as intj, name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: store, machine shop, workshop, acquire.
- Useful contrasts: buy, dispose, factory.
- Usage evidence: I heard a cotton candy shop has just opened. Let's go, dudes.
How to use "shop"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "shop" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "shop" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "shop" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "shop" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "shop" is acting as intj, name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "store" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "shop", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An establishment that sells goods or services to the public; originally only a physical location, but now a virtual establishment as well. countable, uncountable
"From shop to shop Wandering, and littering with unfolded silks The polished counter."
- 2 a course of instruction in a trade (as carpentry or electricity) wordnet
- 3 A place where things are manufactured or crafted; a workshop. countable, uncountable
"A tailor called me in his shop."
- 4 a mercantile establishment for the retail sale of goods or services wordnet
- 5 A large garage where vehicle mechanics work. countable, uncountable
"The car's in the shop right now."
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 small workplace where handcrafts or manufacturing are done wordnet
- 7 Workplace; office. Used mainly in expressions such as shop talk, closed shop and shop floor. countable, uncountable
- 8 Discussion of business or professional affairs. figuratively, uncountable
"What struck me about the occasion was the quiet though cheerful tone of the gathering, the restraint, noticeable also in the very few speeches. Chemistry was taboo, by common consent — no "shop" allowed."
- 9 A variety of classes taught in junior or senior high school that teach vocational skills. countable, uncountable
- 10 An establishment where a barber or beautician works. countable, uncountable
"a barber shop"
- 11 An act of shopping, especially routine shopping for food and other domestic supplies. countable, uncountable
"This is where I do my weekly shop."
- 12 The collective items bought (or to be bought) on a shopping trip. UK, colloquial, countable, uncountable
"I’ve got a big shop, so feel free to go in front."
Verb
- 1 To visit stores or shops to browse or explore merchandise, especially with the intention of buying such merchandise. intransitive
"Why don’t you come shopping for gifts with me, early before the Christmas rush?"
- 2 give away information about somebody wordnet
- 3 To browse or purchase products from (a catalog, an internet website, etc.), mostly from home. transitive
"Shop our new arrivals."
- 4 do one's shopping wordnet
- 5 To report the criminal activities or whereabouts of someone to an authority. UK, slang, transitive
"He shopped his mates in to the police."
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 shop around; not necessarily buying wordnet
- 7 To imprison. UK, slang, transitive
- 8 do one's shopping at; do business with; be a customer or client of wordnet
- 9 To photoshop; to digitally edit a picture or photograph. Internet, transitive
- 10 To dismiss from employment. archaic, slang, transitive
- 11 To investigate or evaluate as a mystery shopper. colloquial, transitive
"A grocery clerk who, after he had been "shopped" on occasions, was discharged because he had admitted that on one occasion he had not rung up a sale immediately after the transaction, as required by the company rule, but had recorded it later when he had remembered it, held discharged, but not for misconduct connected with his work […]"
Intj
- 1 Used to attract the services of a shop assistant dated
Proper Noun
- 1 A small village in Morwenstow parish, north Cornwall, England (OS grid ref SS2214).
- 2 A neighbourhood of St Merryn, St Merryn parish, north Cornwall (OS grid ref SW8773).
Example
"I heard a cotton candy shop has just opened. Let's go, dudes."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "shop"?
Common synonyms include: store, machine shop, workshop, acquire, agency, assess.
How do you use "shop" in a sentence?
I heard a cotton candy shop has just opened. Let's go, dudes.
How do you pronounce "shop"?
Pronounced /ʃɒp/.
Etymology
From Middle English shoppe, schoppe, from Old English sċoppa (“shed; booth; stall; shop”), from Proto-Germanic *skupp-, *skup- (“barn, shed”), from Proto-Indo-European *skub-, *skup- (“to bend, bow, curve, vault”). Cognate with Dutch schop (“spade, kick”), German Schuppen (“shed”), German Schober (“barn”), French échoppe (“booth, shop”) (< Germanic). The verb is denominal. The noun senses “act of shopping”, “purchased items” are backformed from the verb.