vendor
VEN-der
/ˈvɛndər/
A person or company that sells goods, food, or services, especially outdoors or from a small kiosk.
Refers broadly to any seller, but frequently carries a connotation of street-level, market, or external contractor sales.
The story behind the word. From Latin 'vendere', a contraction of 'venum dare' which literally meant 'to give for sale'. It entered Middle French as 'vendeur' before arriving in English in the 16th century to describe merchant suppliers.
Word relationships
- seller: Seller is a general term, whereas vendor implies small-scale or commercial supply transactions.
- merchant: Merchant usually implies a fixed store or wholesale trading operation.
- buyer: A buyer purchases goods rather than selling them.
- consumer: A consumer uses or eats the final product.
Commonly confused with
- peddler: A vendor often stays in one spot or booth, whereas a peddler moves from door to door or street to street.
Word family
- vend (verb): To offer goods for sale.
- vending (noun): The act of selling goods, as via machines or stalls.
Collocations
- street vendor
- licensed vendor
- food vendor
- vendor approval
Example sentences
- "The street food vendor handed over a steaming paper bag filled with hot tacos." Urban street dining culture
- "The city selected a local food vendor to cater the annual downtown park festival." Corporate procurement
Memory hook
A VENDOR sells items from a VENue or VENding machine. Vendor = seller on the spot.
When not to use
Do not use for high-ranking executive buyers; vendors are the sellers, not the clients.
Fun facts
- In ancient Rome, street food vendors were called 'popinarii' and served wine alongside warm lentil stews.
Related words
Take your vocabulary further with LangBlitz
Our English vocabulary app: FSRS spaced repetition, 5,000+ curated words across 119 topic groups, CEFR A1 to C2. Explore your mastery with the beautiful Vocabulary World feature.