Buy Groceries: Meaning, Examples & Usage

Meaning 1：Purchase household provisions (Buy groceries)

Buy groceries 🔊

/baɪ ˈɡroʊsəriz/

v.phr.

To go to a store or market and purchase food items and daily necessities.

Person buying groceries with shopping cart full of fruits and vegetables

Purchase household provisions 🔊

➕

/ˈpɜːrtʃəs ˈhaʊshoʊld prəˈvɪʒənz/

v.phr.

To go to a grocery store or supermarket to buy food items and daily necessities required for a household.

📁 Category：Diet & Health 🔖 Level：Beginner

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

Derived from 'gross' (large quantity), as grocers originally sold goods in bulk.

💡 Mnemonic

Think of a 'gross' pile of fresh fruits and vegetables you need to stock up.

📖 Example

I usually buy groceries on Saturday mornings so I have fresh food for the weekend. 🔊 I usually buy groceries on Saturday mornings so I have fresh food for the weekend.

🔗 Collocations

buy groceries online – Purchase food and household items through the internet

weekly groceries – Groceries purchased each week for regular household consumption

grocery list – A written or mental list of items to buy at the store

🔄 Synonyms

do the grocery shopping (v.phr.) – To engage in purchasing food and household supplies.

stock up on food (v.phr.) – To buy a large quantity of food items, often in preparation for a period.

get provisions (v.phr.) – To obtain necessary food and supplies.

🌱 Derivatives

grocer (n.) – A person who owns or works in a grocery store.

grocery (adj.) – Relating to the sale of food and household goods.

groceries (n.) – Plural form; items of food and daily necessities.

📖 Cultural Story

In 19th-century America, 'groceries' expanded from dry goods to include fresh produce. The phrase 'buy groceries' became a weekly suburban ritual.