marketplace

noun

mar·​ket·​place ˈmär-kət-ˌplās 

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

• business
• commerce
• trade
• traffic

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

While current data show that youth use remains low, the FDA is closely monitoring the marketplace and is committed to taking action, as appropriate, to best protect public health. —Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 17 Jan. 2025

Movies such as 2015’s Crimson Peak ($31M domestic) and 2021’s Nightmare Alley ($11.3M) have struggled in finding theatrical crowds, the latter title largely a victim of skittish arthouse moviegoers during Covid, in addition to Spider-Man: No Way Home taking all the oxygen out the marketplace. —Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 16 Jan. 2025

Sales through the company’s third-party marketplace, Target Plus, grew close to 50% in that time. —Melissa Repko, CNBC, 16 Jan. 2025

This marketing approach contributes to the app’s extraordinary success, with over 52 million downloads worldwide, even surpassing Amazon’s marketplace app in October 2024. —Karan Sharma, Forbes, 15 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

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

Kids Definition

marketplace

noun

mar·​ket·​place ˈmär-kət-ˌplās 

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 

: the economic system through which different companies compete with each other to sell their products