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

Word History

First Known Use

1934, in the meaning defined above

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