To shop means to visit stores or browse online to look at and buy things. When you shop for groceries, you walk through the aisles selecting food your family needs. When you shop for new shoes, you try on different pairs to find ones that fit well and look good.

People also use shop to mean searching carefully for the best option. You might shop around for the best price on a bicycle, comparing what different stores charge. A family might shop for a new car by test-driving several models before deciding which to purchase.

As a noun, shop can also mean a place where things are made or repaired. A woodshop is where people build furniture and projects from lumber. An auto shop fixes broken cars. A machine shop manufactures metal parts using specialized equipment.

When people talk shop, they discuss the details of their work, sometimes boring others who don't share their profession.