I. shop 1 S1 W1 /ʃɒp $ ʃɑːp/ BrE AmE noun
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ shop , ↑ shopper , ↑ shopping ; verb : ↑ shop ]
[ Language: Old English ; Origin: sceoppa 'stall' ]
1 . PLACE WHERE YOU BUY THINGS [countable] especially British English a building or part of a building where you can buy things, food, or services SYN store American English
toy/pet/shoe/gift etc shop
Her brother runs a record shop in Chester.
a barber’s shop
a fish-and-chip shop
the local shops
Shirley saw her reflection in the shop window.
in the shops
New potatoes are in the shops now.
I’m just going down to the shops.
wander/browse around the shops
I spent a happy afternoon wandering around the shops.
⇨ ↑ bucket shop , ↑ corner shop , ↑ coffee shop
2 . PLACE THAT MAKES/REPAIRS THINGS [countable] a place where something is made or repaired:
The generators are put together in the machine shop.
a bicycle repair shop
⇨ ↑ shop floor , ↑ shop steward
3 . SCHOOL SUBJECT ( also shop class ) [uncountable] American English a subject taught in schools that shows students how to use tools and machinery to make or repair things
in shop
Doug made this table in shop.
wood/metal/print etc shop
One auto shop class is run just for girls.
4 . set up shop informal to start a business
5 . shut up shop British English , close up shop American English informal to close a shop or business, either temporarily or permanently
6 . talk shop informal to talk about things that are related to your work, especially in a way that other people find boring:
I’m fed up with you two talking shop.
⇨ ↑ shop talk
7 . all over the shop British English spoken
a) scattered around untidily:
There were bits of paper all over the shop.
b) confused and disorganized:
I’m all over the shop this morning.
8 . GO SHOPPING [singular] British English spoken an occasion when you go shopping, especially for food and other things you need regularly:
She always does the weekly shop on a Friday.
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ shop especially British English , store especially American English a building or place where things are sold:
She's gone to the shops to get some milk.
|
a clothes shop
|
Our local store has sold out of sugar for making jam.
▪ boutique a small shop that sells fashionable clothes or other objects:
a little boutique which specializes in bath products.
▪ superstore British English a very large shop, especially one that is built outside the centre of a city:
Out -of-town superstores have taken business away from shops in the city centre.
▪ department store a very large shop that is divided into several big parts, each of which sells one type of thing, such as clothes, furniture, or kitchen equipment:
He went around all the big department stores in Oxford Street.
▪ supermarket ( also grocery store American English ) a very large shop that sells food, drinks, and things that people need regularly in their homes:
Supermarkets have cut down the number of plastic bags they distribute by 50%.
▪ salon a shop where you can get your hair washed, cut curled etc
▪ garden centre British English , nursery especially American English a place that sells a wide range of plants, seeds, and things for your garden:
Your local garden centre can advise you on which plants to grow.
▪ outlet formal a shop that sells things for less than the usual price, especially things from a particular company or things of a particular type:
The book is available from most retail outlets.
▪ market an area, usually outdoors, where people buy and sell many different types of things:
I usually buy our vegetables at the market – they're much cheaper there.
▪ mall especially American English a large area where there are a lot of shops, especially a large building:
A new restaurant has opened at the mall.
|
We used to hang around together at the mall.
▪ strip mall American English a row of shops built together, with a large area for parking cars in front of it:
Strip malls can seem rather impersonal.
II. shop 2 BrE AmE verb ( past tense and past participle shopped , present participle shopping )
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ shop , ↑ shopper , ↑ shopping ; verb : ↑ shop ]
1 . [intransitive] to go to one or more shops to buy things
shop for
I usually shop for vegetables in the market.
shop at
She always shops at Tesco’s.
⇨ ↑ window-shopping
2 . go shopping ( also be out shopping ) to go to one or more shops to buy things, often for enjoyment:
The next day, Saturday, we went shopping.
Mum’s out shopping with Granny.
3 . [transitive] British English informal to tell the police about someone who has done something illegal:
He was shopped by his ex-wife.
shop around phrasal verb
to compare the price and quality of different things before you decide which to buy
shop around for
Take time to shop around for the best deal.