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gray market
noun
: a market employing irregular but not illegal methods
especially
: a market that legally circumvents authorized channels of distribution to sell goods at prices lower than those intended by the manufacturer
Examples of gray market in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Of course, some gray markets use bitcoin in the West, too, where industries may be legal, but the banks frown on them, like marijuana sales in some states and countries and things like that.
—Steven Ehrlich, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024
Sans introduced the elephant in the room — the gray market — which has fueled revenues for independent retailers for the past 10 years.
—Martino Carrera, WWD, 3 Sep. 2019
Keep in mind that these data exclude hundreds of thousands of unlicensed, gray market personal care aides.
—Howard Gleckman, Forbes, 26 Sep. 2024
That’s because the cannabis industry is, and has been, in the process of transitioning from a black market — and a gray market — into a highly regulated, highly transparent industry.
—Dustin Eide, Rolling Stone, 7 Aug. 2024
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Word History
First Known Use
1934, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near gray market
Cite this Entry
“Gray market.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gray%20market. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.
Legal Definition
gray market
noun
: a market employing irregular but not illegal methods
especially
: a market that legally circumvents authorized channels of distribution to sell goods at prices lower than those intended by the manufacturer
More from Merriam-Webster on gray market
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for gray market
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