greengrocer

American  

[green-groh-ser] / ˈgrinˌgroʊ sər /

noun

Chiefly British.

1. a retailer of fresh vegetables and fruit.

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greengrocer British  

/ ˈɡriːnˌɡrəʊsə /

noun

1. a retail trader in fruit and vegetables

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Other Word Forms

• greengrocery noun

Etymology

Origin of greengrocer

First recorded in 1715–25; green + grocer

Example Sentences

By declining to endorse the mantra, Havel wrote, the greengrocer goes from “living within a lie” to “living within the truth.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 2026

I’m momentarily reminded of the daughter of a British greengrocer, Margaret Thatcher, who, early in her political career, established her economic credentials by the simple expedient of knowing the price of butter.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 23, 2026

The barrow became two shops in Bethnal Green - with enough money left over to buy Len's parents a greengrocer business in Kent.

From BBC • Apr. 24, 2023

When she was a teenager, her parents, a greengrocer and a cotton weaver, moved the family to north London where she studied jewellery-making and silversmithing before re-training as a teacher.

From Reuters • Dec. 29, 2022

But by Wednesday when the greengrocer came he often had to ask for it back, and she always had it, unspent and waiting.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom