market

1 of 2

noun

mar·​ket ˈmär-kət How to pronounce market (audio)
often attributive
1
a(1)
: a meeting together of people for the purpose of trade by private purchase and sale and usually not by auction
(2)
: the people assembled at such a meeting
b(1)
: a public place where a market is held
especially : a place where provisions are sold at wholesale
a farmers' market
(2)
: a retail establishment usually of a specified kind
a fish market
2
archaic : the act or an instance of buying and selling
3
: the rate or price offered for a commodity or security
4
a(1)
: a geographic area of demand for commodities or services
sell in the southern market
(2)
: a specified category of potential buyers
the youth market
b
: the course of commercial activity by which the exchange of commodities is effected : extent of demand
the market is dull
c(1)
: an opportunity for selling
a good market for used cars
(2)
: the available supply of or potential demand for specified goods or services
the labor market
d
: the area of economic activity in which buyers and sellers come together and the forces of supply and demand affect prices
producing goods for market rather than for consumption

market

2 of 2

verb

marketed; marketing; markets

transitive verb

1
: to expose for sale in a market
2
: sell

intransitive verb

: to deal in a market
Phrases
in the market
: in the position of being a potential buyer
in the market for a house
on the market
: available for purchase
also : up for sale
put their house on the market

Examples of market in a Sentence

Noun I stopped at the market on the way home for some juice. They are trying to develop foreign markets for American cotton. The company sells mainly to the Southern market. New markets are opening up all over the world. Advertisers are trying to appeal to the youth market. targeting a more mature market a reference work for the educational market Verb The company has spent millions marketing the latest version of its software. These products are being aggressively marketed to teenagers through television ads. He markets his wares at craft shows.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
That followed on the heels of a think tank series launched with industry partners at Thessaloniki’s sister event in Nov. 2022 that was designed to reimagine and redefine the role of the film market in the European industry. Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 6 Mar. 2024 China is one of Apple’s most important overseas markets, making up almost 30% of total iPhone sales in 2023. Diane Brady, Fortune, 6 Mar. 2024 The Panthers aren’t going to get the two first-round picks and more that they were offered by the Rams in 2022, as Burns no longer has rookie-deal savings and wants to be paid around the top of the market. Mike Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 6 Mar. 2024 Like Chantal Mouffe, a theorist of leftist populism and a friend of Mélenchon’s, Mélenchon believes that voters have become demoralized by a technocratic neoliberal consensus: the primacy of markets and social values that favor individualism over the collective good. Elisabeth Zerofsky, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2024 Analysts from Counterpoint Research said the overall mobile market in China fell by 7% with companies including Apple, Oppo and Vivo experiencing declines. Nicole Goodkind, CNN, 6 Mar. 2024 That bet may have paid off, as Toyota boasts strong hybrid sales even as the rest of the EV market slows down. Lionel Lim, Fortune Asia, 6 Mar. 2024 Officials have said that one recruiting pitch is the area’s greater affordability compared with other UC campuses in the Bay Area and California coastal areas, some of the state’s priciest real-estate markets. Teresa Watanabe, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2024 According to the festival, the flower market RoozenGaarde has over 200 varieties of tulips and daffodils showcased on 50 acres of land. Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 5 Mar. 2024
Verb
Who better to market the flag than a first-generation master of reinvention? Mattie Kahn, Vogue, 6 Mar. 2024 In our current magnesium moment, the supplement is being marketed as a miracle cure for just about everything from muscle cramps to insomnia. Adam Markovitz, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2024 The San Diego Zoo will be the second zoo in the country to currently host giant pandas, which is a significant differentiator to attract additional tourism and a unique opportunity to market San Diego locally, nationally, and around the world. Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Mar. 2024 Gemini Earn marketed itself as a low-risk investment in which customers could lend crypto assets to another firm, Genesis Global Capital (GGC), while earning interest payments as high as 8%. Juliana Liu, CNN, 29 Feb. 2024 This seasonal wave of sandwiches, in other words, is meticulously engineered and marketed to cater to diners during Lent. Tim Carman, Washington Post, 28 Feb. 2024 The data was then marketed to the government for an undisclosed sum. Dell Cameron, WIRED, 28 Feb. 2024 The documents and interviews offer the clearest accounting to date of the most widespread toxic exposure in food marketed to young children in decades. Will Fitzgibbon, New York Times, 27 Feb. 2024 Indeed, as the Washington Post recently documented from tax records, four nonprofit organizations that marketed medical misinformation during the pandemic saw their contributions leap by more than $100 million from 2020 to 2022. Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'market.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English, probably from Continental Germanic; akin to Old Saxon markat marketplace, Old High German marcāt, both ultimately from Latin mercatus trade, marketplace, from mercari to trade, from merc-, merx merchandise

First Known Use

Noun

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Verb

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of market was in the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near market

Cite this Entry

“Market.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/market. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

market

1 of 2 noun
mar·​ket ˈmär-kət How to pronounce market (audio)
1
a
: a meeting together of people to buy and sell
b
: the people at such a meeting
c
: a public place where a market is held
especially : a place where provisions are sold at wholesale
2
: a store where foods are sold to the public
a meat market
3
a
: a geographic region in which things may be sold
markets for American cotton
b
: a particular category of people who might buy
the youth market
4
: an opportunity for selling
a good market for used cars

market

2 of 2 verb
1
: to deal in a market
2
: to offer for sale in a market : sell
marketing
-iŋ
noun
Etymology

Noun

Middle English market "market," derived from Latin mercatus "trade, marketplace," derived from mercari "to trade," from merc-, merx "merchandise" — related to commerce, merchant

Legal Definition

market

noun
mar·​ket
1
: the rate or price at which a security or commodity is currently selling : market price
2
a
: a geographical area of demand for commodities or services
seeking new foreign markets
b
: a formal organized system enabling the transaction of business between buyers and sellers of commodities
a futures market
see also stock market
c
: a specified category of potential buyers
the youth market
3
a
: the course of commercial activity by which the exchange of commodities is accomplished
the market is quiet
b
: an opportunity for selling
developing new markets
c
: the available supply of or potential demand for specified goods or services
the labor market
the market for durable goods
d
: the area of economic activity in which buyers and sellers come together and the forces of supply and demand affect prices

More from Merriam-Webster on market

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