Definition

Noun: A wheeled cart, typically made of metal or plastic, provided by a retail store for customers to use while shopping to hold and transport selected merchandise before purchase.

Usage

The term "shopping cart" is used to refer to the physical object in a store. It is also commonly used in digital contexts to refer to the virtual list of items a customer intends to buy online. * Please return your shopping cart to the designated area after unloading your groceries. * I added three books to my online shopping cart but haven't checked out yet.

Advanced Usage

• Digital/Metaphorical Use: In e-commerce, "shopping cart" (often styled as "shopping cart" or "shopping bag") refers to the software function that holds items for a potential online purchase. The physical metaphor is direct.
  • Our website's shopping cart software calculates tax and shipping automatically.
• "Abandoned cart": A common e-commerce term for an online shopping cart where items were selected but the purchase was not completed.
  • The store sent an email reminder to customers with abandoned carts.

Variants and Related Words

• Shopping trolley: (Chiefly British English) A synonym for "shopping cart."
• Cart (verb): The act of adding an item to a digital shopping cart.
  • I carted the item but decided to compare prices first.
• Handcart: A general term for a small cart pushed or pulled by hand.

Synonyms

• Grocery cart
• Supermarket trolley (UK)
• Buggy (regional US)

Related Phrases

• Shopping cart attendant: A store employee who collects carts from the parking lot.
• Shopping cart corral: The enclosed area in a store parking lot for returning carts.

Noun

1. a handcart that holds groceries or other goods while shopping