Meaning & use
showroom
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Meanings
nouncountable
A large room or building where a business displays goods such as cars or furniture so that customers can look at them before buying.
Grammar: A countable noun: a car showroom, several showrooms.
Patterns
- showroom for something
- in the showroom
We looked at three cars in the showroom on Saturday.
The furniture showroom has fifty sofas on display.
Their kitchen showroom is on the main road.
nouncountablebusiness
A room in a company where new designs or collections are presented to buyers, as in fashion.
Grammar: Used in the trade: the designer's showroom.
Patterns
- designer showroom
Buyers visited the designer's showroom during fashion week.
The brand opened a new showroom in Milan.
Her sample dresses hang in the showroom.
Word forms
| plural | showrooms |
|---|
Common combinations
- car showroom
- The new car showroom opened last month.
- visit the showroom
- You should visit the showroom before ordering.
- showroom floor
- That model is on the showroom floor.
- showroom condition
- The old truck was in showroom condition.
- bathroom showroom
- A bathroom showroom lets you test the taps.
Synonyms and how they differ
- display room
- This is a plain description and less commonly used as a business name.
- gallery
- This suggests art and a more elegant setting, not necessarily selling.
- store
- This is general and does not suggest the goods are mainly for viewing.
- dealership
- This is the whole car-selling business and may include repair space, not just the room for viewing.
Word family
Commonly confused: showroom or salesroom?
showroom vs salesroom
A salesroom is a place where goods are sold, often by auction, while a showroom may only display them.
Practice
A man looks at brand-new cars before buying one. Where is he most likely to be?
Choose one answer.
A showroom is where new goods are displayed for buyers. A workshop is for repairs, a scrapyard for broken cars.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “showroom”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.