marketplace

noun

mar·​ket·​place ˈmär-kət-ˌplās How to pronounce marketplace (audio)
Synonyms of marketplacenext
1
a
: an open square or place in a town where markets or public sales are held
b
: market
the marketplace is the interpreter of supply and demand
2
: the world of trade or economic activity : the everyday world
3
: a sphere in which intangible values compete for acceptance
the marketplace of ideas

Synonyms of marketplace

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of marketplace in a Sentence

Their products must compete in the marketplace. The company has struggled to survive in a rapidly changing marketplace.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Launching an insurance company One of his early successes at Thrive came in 2012 when Kushner launched a health insurer called Oscar that sold coverage directly to individuals in the marketplaces established by the Affordable Care Act. — Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2026 Through the marketplace, the average unsubsidized premium for a benchmark silver plan for a 40-year-old consumer is $625 per month, according to KFF. — Sarah Agostino, CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026 The company contends its plan serves the town, the residential marketplace and the interest of historic preservation. — Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 28 Aug. 2026 King will oversee all aspects of Helly Hansen’s North America Sport business, including commercial strategy and marketplace execution. — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 28 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for marketplace

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of marketplace was in the 14th century

Rhymes for marketplace

See All Rhymes for marketplace

Browse Nearby Words

market overt
marketplace
market pot
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Marketplace.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/marketplace. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

marketplace

noun
mar·​ket·​place ˈmär-kət-ˌplās How to pronounce marketplace (audio)
1
: an open square or place in a town where markets are held
2
: the world of trade

Legal Definition

marketplace

noun
mar·​ket·​place ˈmär-kət-ˌplās How to pronounce marketplace (audio)
: the economic system through which different companies compete with each other to sell their products
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of dissonant

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All