- 1 [countable] (especially British English) a building or part of a building where you can buy goods or services a shoe shop There's a little gift shop around the corner. (British English) a butcher’s shop (North American English) a butcher shop (British English) I'm just going down to the shops. Can I get you anything? CollocationsShoppingShopping go/go out/be out shopping go to (especially British English) the shops/(especially North American English) a store/(especially North American English) the mall do (British English) the shopping/(especially North American English) the grocery shopping/a bit of window-shopping (North American English, informal) hit/hang out at the mall try on clothes/shoes indulge in some retail therapy go on a spending spree cut/cut back on/reduce your spending be/get caught shoplifting donate something to/take something to/find something in (British English) a charity shop/(North American English) a thrift store buy/sell/find something at (British English) a car boot sale/(British English) a jumble sale/a garage sale/(North American English) a yard sale find/get/pick up a bargainAt the shop/store load/push/wheel (British English) a trolley/(North American English) a cart stand in/wait in (British English) the checkout queue/(North American English) the checkout line (North American English) stand in line/ (British English) queue at the checkout bag (especially North American English) (your) groceries pack (away) (especially British English) your shopping stack/stock/restock the shelves at a store (with something) be (found) on/appear on supermarket/shop/store shelves be in/have in/be out of/run out of stock deal with/help/serve customers run a special promotion be on special offerBuying goods make/complete a purchase buy/purchase something online/by mail order make/place/take an order for something buy/order something in bulk/in advance accept/take credit cards pay (in) cash/by (credit/debit) card/(British English) with a gift voucher/(North American English) with a gift certificate enter your PIN number ask for/get/obtain a receipt return/exchange an item/a product be entitled to/ask for/demand a refund compare prices offer (somebody)/give (somebody)/get/receive a 30% discount see also bakeshop, bucket shop, coffee shop, corner shop, factory shop Wordfindershopassistant, buy, counter, display, fitting room, promotion, sale, shop, store, till Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectivecorner, local, village, … … of shopsparade, row, chain, … verb + shophave, keep, own, … shop + verbsell something, offer something, specialize in something, … shop + nounassistant, manager, manageress, … prepositionaround a/the shop, round a/the shop, at a/the shop, … See full entry See related entries: Types of stores for making/repairing things
- 2(also workshop) [countable] (especially in compounds) a place where things are made or repaired, especially part of a factory where a particular type of work is done a repair shop a paint shop (= where cars are painted) see also body shop shopping
- 3[singular] (British English, informal) an act of going shopping, especially for food and other items needed in the house I do a weekly shop at the supermarket. school subject
- 4 (also shop class) [uncountable] (both North American English) = industrial arts room for tools
- 5 (also workshop) [countable] (North American English) a room in a house where tools are kept for making repairs to the house, building things out of wood, etc. Word OriginMiddle English: shortening of Old French eschoppe ‘lean-to booth’, of West Germanic origin; related to German Schopf ‘porch’ and English dialect shippon ‘cattle shed’. The verb is first recorded (mid 16th cent.) in the sense ‘imprison’ (from an obsolete slang use of the noun for ‘prison’), which led to sense (3).Extra examples I gave all my old books to a charity shop. I went around all the shops but I couldn’t find a present for him. Mobile shops are invaluable to people in rural areas. She bought 400 cigarettes at the airport duty-free shop. She opened a flower shop in the High Street. She works part-time in a shop. Some buskers had set up shop outside the station. The brothers opened a chain of electrical shops in the eighties. The post office is at the end of the row of shops. The shop offers a large selection of leather goods at reasonable prices. There was was a break-in at that new shop last night. This is your one-stop shop for all your holiday needs. a famous shoe shop chain an area where many artists have set up shop The local corner shop stays open until midnight. There’s a little gift shop around the corner. Your local pet shop should stock a variety of different collars. a pet/gift shopIdioms
where you buy something
(British English, informal) = all over the place
a person who is careless, or who moves or acts in a rough or awkward way, in a place or situation where skill and care are needed You’re not going to go storming in there like a bull in a china shop, are you?
(of a business, etc.) to stop trading The factory closed its doors for the last time in 2009.
(informal) to become widely available for sale The new magazine hits the streets tomorrow.
to be in charge of something for a short time while somebody is away Who's minding the shop while the boss is abroad?
to start a business
(British English, informal) to close a business permanently or to stop working for the day
(usually disapproving) to talk about your work with the people you work with, especially when you are also with other people who are not connected with or interested in it Whenever we meet up with Clive and Sue they always end up talking shop.
Check pronunciation: shop
