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shopper

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Etymology and origin of the English word shopper

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1803 Cobbett's Annual Register
Ultimate origins
Old English sceoppaEnglish -er
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
English shop
English shopper

Pronunciation

  • UK: /ˈʃɒp.ə/[1]
  • US: /ˈʃɑ.pɚ/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English shop + -er, originally from the noun and in later use from the verb.[2] The Shorter Oxford and Etymonline derive it from the verb.[3][4] The OED notes that the surname of Joh. le shopper' (1332) probably implies an earlier word, perhaps meaning a shopkeeper, like shopman.[2] Shop is of uncertain origin, perhaps from scoppa or from Old French eschoppe (“booth, stall”).[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

A person who visits shops to look at goods and buy them: 1803, in Cobbett's Annual Register.[2] Etymonline and Merriam-Webster date it to 1860, and Dictionary.com to 1860–65.[4][5][6]

Semantic evolution

The verb shop had meant "to visit shops to look at or buy goods" since 1764.[4] In the 20th century shopper was transferred to things used in shopping: an advertising newspaper (1934, though Etymonline dates it to 1958), a shopping bag or trolley (1962) and a small-wheeled bicycle with a basket (1973).[2][4][3] Merriam-Webster also has a person whose job is to shop for others.[5] In British slang a shopper was an informer, from shop "to inform on": Green's first record (1924) explains it as a warder's tale-bearer in prison.[7][2]

Timeline

  • 1803 – a person who visits shops to buy goods.[2] Etymonline dates it to 1860.[4]
  • 1924 – slang, an informer.[2][7]
  • 1934 – an advertising newspaper.[2] Etymonline dates it to 1958.[4]
  • 1962 – a shopping bag or trolley.[2]
  • 1973 – a small-wheeled bicycle with a basket.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A person who visits shops or looks for goods or services to buy; a customer: Holiday shoppers crowded the arcade.[8][5][2]
  2. A person whose job is to shop for others.[5]
  3. A free newspaper or sheet of advertisements.[2][3]
  4. A shopping bag or trolley.[2][3]
  5. A small-wheeled bicycle with a basket, for use when shopping.[2][3]
  6. (slang, rare) An informer.[2][7][3]

Word family

  • nonshopper
  • comparison shopper

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e f Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b c Green, Jonathon (2010), Green's Dictionary of Slang, London: Chambers; digital ed. 2016–, https://greensdictofslang.com
  8. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
Cite this entry

“Shopper.” Etymologically, 1 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/en/shopper. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

Last edited on . ·