Retail: Definition, Usage & Common Examples

Meaning 1：sale to consumers (retail)

retail 🔊

/ˈriːteɪl/

Selling goods in small amounts directly to people for their own use, usually in shops or online.

Retail meaning illustrated by a customer buying groceries at a supermarket checkout counter.

sale to consumers 🔊

➕

/seɪl tə kənˈsjuːməz/

The sale of goods directly to the general public for personal or household use, typically in small quantities.

📁 Category：Social Economy 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Old French 'retaillier' (to cut off, pare), from 're-' (again) + 'taillier' (to cut).

💡 Mnemonic

Think RE-TAIL: a store REpeatedly sells items by the TAIL end (small amounts) to final consumers.

📖 Example

On weekends, the retail section of the shopping mall is always crowded with people buying clothes and electronics. 🔊 On weekends, the sale to consumers area of the shopping mall is always crowded with people buying clothes and electronics.

🔗 Collocations

retail sector – the part of the economy consisting of businesses that sell goods directly to consumers

retail price – the price at which a product is sold to the final consumer

retail store – a physical shop where goods are sold to the public

🔄 Synonyms

commerce (n.) – the activity of buying and selling, especially on a large scale.

merchandising (n.) – the activity of promoting the sale of goods, especially by their presentation in retail outlets.

selling (n.) – the exchange of a commodity for money; the action of selling something.

🚫 Antonyms

wholesale (n.) – the sale of goods in large quantities to be retailed by others.

manufacturing (n.) – the making of articles on a large scale using machinery; industrial production.

production (n.) – the action of making or manufacturing from components or raw materials.

🌱 Derivatives

retailer (n.) – a person or business that sells goods to the public.

retailing (n.) – the business of selling goods to the public.

retailored (adj.) – made to fit again or altered; in retail context, can imply customized or made-to-order goods.

📖 Cultural Story

The word entered English in the 14th century via Anglo-French retail, meaning "a sale in small quantities." Its root, 'retaillier,' literally meant "to cut off" or "to break bulk," reflecting the practice of selling small quantities cut from a larger piece or bulk supply.