Definition

Noun: A retail establishment where fresh meat and poultry are sold to the public. Sometimes, such a shop may also sell fish.

Usage

A "butcher shop" is a specific type of food store. It is typically a smaller, specialized store, as opposed to the meat department of a large supermarket. - I need to go to the butcher shop to buy a steak for dinner. - The butcher shop on Main Street has the freshest chicken.

Advanced Usage

• "The butcher's": In British English, it is very common to refer to a butcher shop simply as "the butcher's" (e.g., "I'm going to the butcher's").
• Implication of skill: The term can imply a place where meat is not only sold but also prepared by a skilled butcher, who may cut meat to order.

Variants and Related Words

• Butcher (noun): The person who prepares and sells the meat in a butcher shop.
• Butchery (noun): This can be a synonym for a butcher shop, though it is less common in everyday American English. It can also refer to the trade or work of a butcher.
• Meat market: A broader term that can refer to a butcher shop or a wholesale market for meat.

Synonyms

• Meat market
• Butchery

Related Phrases

• Family butcher shop: Emphasizes a small, often family-owned and operated business.
• Local butcher shop: Highlights that the shop is part of the neighborhood, as opposed to a chain store.

Noun

1. a shop in which meat and poultry (and sometimes fish) are sold