It’s all about shopping
Shopping is more than just a daily necessity; it’s an art form that combines budgeting, style, and savvy. Understanding key shopping terms can enhance your experience and make you a more informed consumer. Here are 25 impressive words related to shopping, complete with their meanings, pronunciations, parts of speech, common prepositions, and usage examples.
Table of Contents
1. Frugal
– Pronunciation: /ˈfruːɡəl/
– Part of Speech: Adjective
– Meaning: Economical in the use of money or resources.
– Common Prepositions: “with,” “in”
– Usage:
1. She is very frugal with her money.
2. They live a frugal lifestyle, saving as much as they can.
3. Being frugal in spending can help you save for the future.
4. He is known for his frugal habits in everyday life.
2. Extravagant
– Pronunciation: /ɪkˈstrævəɡənt/
– Part of Speech: Adjective
– Meaning: Spending more than is necessary or wise; lavish.
– Common Prepositions: “with,” “in”
– Usage:
1. She has an extravagant taste in clothing.
2. His lifestyle is too extravagant for his income.
3. They made extravagant purchases during the holiday season.
4. Being extravagant with your spending can lead to financial problems.
3. Foot the Bill
– Part of Speech: Verb phrase
– Meaning: To pay for something, especially something expensive.
– Forms: footed the bill, footing the bill
– Usage:
1. She had to foot the bill for the entire dinner.
2. He footed the bill for the company’s annual party.
3. They are footing the bill for the wedding expenses.
4. He will foot the bill for the repairs.
4. Shoplifter
– Pronunciation: /ˈʃɒpˌlɪftər/
– Part of Speech: Noun (countable)
– Meaning: A person who steals goods from a store.
– Common Prepositions: “at,” “in”
– Usage:
1. The shoplifter was caught on camera.
2. Shoplifters often target busy stores.
3. The store has security measures to deter shoplifters.
4. She was accused of being a shoplifter at the mall.
5. Thrift Shop
– Pronunciation: /θrɪft ʃɒp/
– Part of Speech: Noun (countable)
– Meaning: A store selling second-hand goods, often to raise funds for charity.
– Common Prepositions: “at,” “in”
– Usage:
1. She found a vintage dress at the thrift shop.
2. He likes to shop at thrift shops for unique items.
3. Thrift shops are great places to find bargains.
4. They donated their old clothes to a thrift shop.
6. Window-shop
– Pronunciation: /ˈwɪndoʊ ˌʃɑːp/
– Part of Speech: Verb
– Meaning: To look at items in store windows without intending to buy them.
– Forms: window-shopped, window-shopped, window-shopping
– Usage:
1. They spent the afternoon window-shopping downtown.
2. She enjoys window shopping for inspiration.
3. He was window-shopping when he saw the perfect gift.
4. They often go window shopping on weekends.
7. Shopaholic
– Pronunciation: /ˌʃɒpəˈhɒlɪk/
– Part of Speech: Noun (countable)
– Meaning: A person who is addicted to shopping.
– Common Prepositions: “of,” “for”
– Usage:
1. She admitted to being a shopaholic.
2. Shopaholics often struggle with debt.
3. He is a known shopaholic among his friends.
4. They hosted a support group for shopaholics.
8. Durable
– Pronunciation: /ˈdʊrəbəl/
– Part of Speech: Adjective
– Meaning: Able to withstand wear, pressure, or damage; hard-wearing.
– Common Prepositions: “in,” “for”
– Usage:
1. The jacket is made of durable material.
2. She prefers buying durable products.
3. They tested the durability of the fabric.
4. Durable goods often come with a longer warranty.
9. Tacky
– Pronunciation: /ˈtæki/
– Part of Speech: Adjective
– Meaning: In poor taste or lacking style.
– Common Prepositions: “in”
– Usage:
1. The decor was tacky and outdated.
2. She thought the dress looked tacky.
3. They avoided buying anything tacky for the party.
4. He made a tacky joke at the event.
10. Splurge
– Pronunciation: /splɜːrdʒ/
– Part of Speech: Verb
– Meaning: To spend money freely or extravagantly.
– Forms: splurged, splurged, splurging
– Usage:
1. She decided to splurge on a new dress for the party.
2. He splurged all his savings on a luxury vacation.
3. They splurged on gourmet food during their trip.
4. She was splurging on designer shoes without any guilt.
11. Curtail
– Pronunciation: /kərˈteɪl/
– Part of Speech: Verb
– Meaning: To reduce or limit something, especially expenses.
– Forms: curtailed, curtailed, curtailing
– Usage:
1. They had to curtail their spending to save for a house.
2. The company curtailed its expenses to avoid bankruptcy.
3. He curtailed his shopping habits to stick to a budget.
4. She is curtailing her impulse buys to save more money.
12. Browse
– Pronunciation: /braʊz/
– Part of Speech: Verb
– Meaning: To look through or glance at casually.
– Forms: browsed, browsed, browsing
– Usage:
1. She browsed the aisles for a new book.
2. He browsed through the clothing racks without buying anything.
3. They enjoyed browsing the antique store.
4. She was browsing online for the best deals.
13. Haggle
– Pronunciation: /ˈhæɡəl/
– Part of Speech: Verb
– Meaning: To negotiate the price of something.
– Forms: haggled, haggled, haggling
– Usage:
1. She haggled with the vendor over the price of the scarf.
2. He haggled for a better deal at the market.
3. They spent hours haggling over the cost of the car.
4. She is haggling to get the best possible price.
14. Spendthrift
– Pronunciation: /ˈspɛndˌθrɪft/
– Part of Speech: Noun (countable), Adjective
– Meaning: A person who spends money in an extravagant, irresponsible way.
– Common Prepositions: “with,” “of”
– Usage as Noun:
1. He was known as a spendthrift who squandered his inheritance.
2. Her spendthrift habits led to mounting debt.
3. The spendthrift was always broke despite earning a good salary.
4. Being a spendthrift, she often bought things she didn’t need.
Usage as Adjective:
1. His spendthrift ways caused concern among his family.
2. The spendthrift behavior was evident in her shopping sprees.
3. He needed to curb his spendthrift tendencies to save money.
4. The spendthrift shopper couldn’t resist buying the latest gadgets.
15. Boutique
– Pronunciation: /buːˈtiːk/
– Part of Speech: Noun (countable)
– Meaning: A small, fashionable shop specializing in unique items.
– Common Prepositions: “in,” “at”
– Usage:
1. She bought a beautiful dress at a boutique.
2. They opened a new boutique in the downtown area.
3. The boutique specializes in handmade jewelry.
4. She loves shopping in small boutiques for exclusive items.
16. Reasonable
– Pronunciation: /ˈriːzənəbəl/
– Part of Speech: Adjective
– Meaning: Fair and sensible in amount, not too expensive.
– Common Prepositions: “for,” “in”
– Usage:
1. The store offers reasonable prices on all its products.
2. He found a reasonable deal on a new laptop.
3. They agreed on a reasonable price for the used car.
4. The hotel rate was reasonable for its location.
17. Squander
– Pronunciation: /ˈskwɒndər/
– Part of Speech: Verb
– Meaning: To waste something, especially money or time, in a reckless or foolish manner.
– Forms: squandered, squandered, squandering
– Common Prepositions: “on,” “away,” “in”
– Usage:
1. He squandered his entire paycheck on unnecessary gadgets.
2. She squandered her inheritance away on lavish vacations.
3. They squandered valuable time arguing instead of solving the problem.
4. He is known for squandering his resources without thinking of the future.
18. Exorbitant
– Pronunciation: /ɪɡˈzɔːrbɪtənt/
– Part of Speech: Adjective
– Meaning: Unreasonably high or excessive, especially in terms of price.
– Common Prepositions: “for,” “on”
– Usage:
1. The price of the designer handbag was exorbitant.
2. He refused to pay the exorbitant fees for express shipping.
3. They charged an exorbitant amount for parking at the event.
4. She felt the rent for the apartment was exorbitant compared to other places.
19. Vendor
– Pronunciation: /ˈvɛndər/
– Part of Speech: Noun (countable)
– Meaning: A person or company offering something for sale.
– Common Prepositions: “of,” “at”
– Usage:
1. The vendor sold fresh produce at the market.
2. She negotiated with the vendor for a lower price.
3. Vendors lined the streets during the festival.
4. He is a vendor of handmade crafts.
20. Clearance
– Pronunciation: /ˈklɪrəns/
– Part of Speech: Noun (countable)
– Meaning: A sale of goods at reduced prices to clear out old stock.
– Common Prepositions: “on,” “in”
– Usage:
1. The store is having a clearance sale on summer items.
2. She bought many items in the clearance section.
3. They announced a clearance sale to make room for new stock.
4. He found great deals during the clearance event.
21. Checkout
– Pronunciation: /ˈtʃɛkˌaʊt/
– Part of Speech: Noun (countable)
– Meaning: The area in a store where customers pay for their purchases.
– Common Prepositions: “at,” “in”
– Usage:
1. She waited in line at the checkout.
2. The checkout was busy during the sale.
3. He placed his items on the counter at the checkout.
4. The cashier at the checkout was very friendly.
22. Bargain
– Pronunciation: /ˈbɑːrɡɪn/
– Part of Speech: Noun (countable)
– Meaning: An advantageous purchase, especially one acquired at less than the usual cost.
– Common Prepositions: “for,” “on”
– Usage:
1. She found a great bargain on winter coats.
2. The store is known for its bargains.
3. He always looks for bargains when shopping.
4. They offered a bargain price on the new model.
23. Inventory
– Pronunciation: /ˈɪnvənˌtɔri/
– Part of Speech: Noun (uncountable)
– Meaning: A complete list of items such as property, goods in stock, or the contents of a building.
– Common Prepositions: “of,” “in”
– Usage:
1. The store conducted an inventory of all its products.
2. She managed the inventory for the warehouse.
3. They have a large inventory of electronics.
4. Keeping an accurate inventory is crucial for business.
24. Outlet
– Pronunciation: /ˈaʊtˌlɛt/
– Part of Speech: Noun (countable)
– Meaning: A store that sells goods from a particular manufacturer or wholesaler at discounted prices.
– Common Prepositions: “in,” “at”
– Usage:
1. She bought new shoes at the outlet store.
2. The outlet mall was crowded with shoppers.
3. He found great deals at the outlet.
4. They opened a new outlet in the city.
25. Aisle
– Pronunciation: /aɪl/
– Part of Speech: Noun (countable)
– Meaning: A passage between rows of seats or shelves.
– Common Prepositions: “in,” “down”
– Usage:
1. She walked down the aisle looking for cereal.
2. The aisles were crowded with shoppers.
3. He found the item in the next aisle.
4. They arranged the products neatly in the aisle.
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Short Story Using the Words
The Tale of the Savvy Shopper:
Emily was known among her friends for being incredibly frugal. She loved to shop, but she always got the best deals. Unlike her sister, Mia, who had an extravagant taste and didn’t mind splurging on luxury items, Emily preferred to save her money for more important things.
One Saturday afternoon, the two sisters decided to go shopping together. Mia was eager to check out the latest designer boutique downtown, while Emily suggested they start at the local thrift shop. “You never know what treasures you might find!” Emily said with a smile.
As they arrived at the thrift shop, Emily began to browse through the aisles, looking for anything durable and reasonably priced. She found a beautiful, slightly worn leather jacket. Meanwhile, Mia couldn’t help but window-shop at the more upscale stores nearby, feeling tempted by the exorbitant price tags.
After leaving the thrift shop, they visited a trendy boutique. Mia immediately fell in love with a gorgeous, but very expensive dress. She knew it was too much, but the shopaholic in her couldn’t resist. As she approached the checkout, she hesitated. The price was quite exorbitant. Emily, on the other hand, found a reasonable deal on a chic blouse.
As they were about to leave, Emily noticed a vendor selling handmade jewelry outside the boutique. She decided to haggle a bit and managed to get a lovely bracelet for half the original price—a real bargain! Still thinking about the dress, Mia couldn’t help but feel a bit like a spendthrift.
They next went to an outlet mall, where Emily discovered a clearance sale on home goods. She picked up some items for her apartment at rock-bottom prices, while Mia wandered through the aisles looking for anything that caught her eye. Emily found Mia staring at a tacky lamp, shaking her head. “You need to curtail your impulse buys,” Emily teased.
Later, at a high-end department store, they witnessed a shoplifter trying to sneak out with a purse. The store security quickly caught the thief, and the sisters continued their shopping. Mia finally decided to buy the dress she had been eyeing, but only after Emily agreed to foot the bill for lunch.
As the day came to an end, Mia admitted that she often squanders her money on things she doesn’t need. Emily, pleased with her purchases and happy she didn’t splurge on anything unnecessary, felt a sense of accomplishment. She navigated the day’s temptations with her frugal mindset intact, proving that you can enjoy shopping without going overboard.
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