supermarket

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   A large self-service shop that sells food, drinks, and other household goods, usually organized in aisles.

   Grammar: Countable: you can say 'a supermarket' or 'supermarkets'.

   Patterns

   • at the supermarket
   • go to the supermarket
   • a supermarket chain

   I need to stop at the supermarket on my way home to buy milk and bread.

   The new supermarket on Main Street has a wider selection of fresh vegetables.

   She works as a cashier at a supermarket.

2. 2nouncountable

   The business or chain that operates such stores.

   Grammar: Countable; often used with a name or brand: 'the ABC supermarket chain'.

   Patterns

   • a supermarket chain
   • the supermarket industry

   The supermarket chain announced it would open ten new stores this year.

   He invested in a local supermarket business.

Word forms

Common combinations

supermarket chain

The supermarket chain is known for its low prices.

supermarket aisle

She walked down the supermarket aisle looking for pasta.

supermarket checkout

There was a long line at the supermarket checkout.

supermarket trolley

He pushed the supermarket trolley to the car.

local supermarket

Our local supermarket closes at 10 p.m.

Synonyms and how they differ

grocery store

More common in American English; it usually refers to a shop that mainly sells food, while a supermarket is larger and sells many household goods too.

superstore

A very large shop, often outside town, that sells a wide range of goods; it can be used for supermarkets but also for other types of large shops.

Word family

supermarket noun

The base form; no common derived words are in everyday use.

Commonly confused: supermarket or supermarker?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “supermarket”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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