shopping
noun
Simple meaning
Searching for or buying goods or services.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
shahpingSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈʃɑpɪŋ
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
Searching for or buying goods or services
“Went shopping for a reliable plumber.”
An area's combination of stores and other infrastructure and products available for people who want to shop.
Recently bought goods.
Placement in a workshop for overhaul.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A1 · Beginner
- Frequency
- Very Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Searching for or buying goods or services
Used this way, shopping is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“Went shopping for a reliable plumber.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Usage note
It most often appears in the pattern “shopping for …”, which is worth copying when you use it.
Natural pattern: shopping for …
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use shopping
- “She loaded her shopping into the car.”noun
Share your sentence
Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
Someone who visits stores in search of articles to buy.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
A handbasket used to carry goods while shopping.
A handcart that holds groceries or other goods while shopping.
Mercantile establishment consisting of a carefully landscaped complex of shops representing leading merchandisers.
Mercantile establishment consisting of a carefully landscaped complex of shops representing leading merchandisers.
A list of items to be purchased.
Mercantile establishment consisting of a carefully landscaped complex of shops representing leading merchandisers.
Use This Word
See how this word sounds in a real sentence.
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Use it yourself
Keep learning “shopping” by choosing the kind of practice you need next.
- Practice sentence writingWrite sentences with vocabulary and get instant feedback.
- Practice in contextAnswer short vocabulary questions drawn from real situations.
- Review vocabularyTest your recall and strengthen words over time.
- Practice typingType vocabulary in short rounds that draw from words you've learned and saved.
Want to type words like this one without looking at the keyboard? Each typing round draws from words you've learned, saved or need to review. Follow the free Learn to Type lessons and type your own vocabulary with confidence.
Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.