Meaning & use
a pop up shop
Last updated
Meanings
phrasecountable
A shop that opens for a short time in a temporary space, often to sell a special product or test an idea.
Grammar: Countable: you can say 'a pop-up shop', 'two pop-up shops', and 'the pop-up shop'.
Patterns
- open a pop-up shop
- run a pop-up shop
- a pop-up shop in a shopping centre
The bakery opened a pop-up shop in the empty unit for the summer.
We found a pop-up shop selling handmade candles near the station.
The brand used a pop-up shop to see if customers liked its new range.
phrasecountablebusiness
A temporary online store or a short-term section within a website where a company sells goods for a limited period.
Grammar: Used mainly in business and marketing contexts; it can refer to a physical place or an online one.
Patterns
- set up a pop-up shop online
- a pop-up shop on the website
The designer set up a pop-up shop online for one weekend only.
Their pop-up shop on the website sold out in three hours.
Word forms
| plural | pop-up shops |
|---|
Common combinations
- open a pop-up shop
- They plan to open a pop-up shop during the festival.
- run a pop-up shop
- She runs a pop-up shop every December in the old market.
- a pop-up shop selling something
- There is a pop-up shop selling vintage clothes this week.
- a pop-up shop in a shopping centre
- A pop-up shop in the shopping centre attracted many young customers.
- a temporary pop-up shop
- The council allowed a temporary pop-up shop on the high street.
Synonyms and how they differ
- temporary store
- A more general term; it suggests a shop that is not permanent but does not emphasize the sudden, short-term nature of a pop-up shop.
- pop-up store
- Very similar and often used in American English; 'pop-up shop' is more common in British English.
Word family
Commonly confused: a pop up shop or pop-up?
a pop up shop vs pop-up
As a noun, 'pop-up' can mean a small window that appears on a computer screen. 'A pop-up shop' is a temporary store, not a computer message.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence.
Choose one answer.
'In' is used for a space inside a building or unit. 'On' and 'at' do not fit the idea of being inside the unit, and 'to' suggests direction, not location.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “a pop up shop”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.