Walmart

English

Walmart logo

Etymology

The company name is likely an abbreviation for “Walton’s Market”, after its founder, Sam Walton. It was originally spelled Wal-Mart and later changed to Walmart.

Pronunciation

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Verb

Walmart (third-person singular simple present Walmarts, present participle Walmarting, simple past and past participle Walmarted)

1. (intransitive) To shop at Walmart.
   • 2016, Janet L. Furst, Everyday Truth of a Rainbow Woman, Balboa Press, →ISBN:

     Next we went Walmarting, where Shanti picked up more stuff for college, like sports bras in purple, white, and black and a hot water heater for dormitory tea parties.

   • 2020 April 10, Shopping Siren, “Grab and go: If you need it, you can likely get it curbside”, in Sun Journal, page C2:

     You’ll need to choose a day and time slot for pickup — who would have thought we’d ever miss Walmarting on a whim? — so make sure you plan ahead.

   • 2022 January 16, “Obituaries”, in Times Record News, volume 115, number 243, section “Sybol Ray Maze Brandon”, page 2A:

     She and her best friend Earlene Pebworth, spent many happy days playing cards cards and bingo, as well as making the famous Christmas candy, gossiping, Walmarting and entertaining the Manor staff and residents with their antics.

2. (transitive) To outcompete, or drive out of business, by one's superior size and market share.
   • 1992, Cornelia Flora, Jan L. Flora, Louis E. Swanson, Mark Weinberg, Rural Communities: Legacy & Change, Westview Press, →ISBN, page 267:

     Merchants in small communities have been “Wal-Marted” by the general merchandise chain store in the nearby larger community.

   • 2001, ABA/BNA Lawyers’ Manual on Professional Conduct, volume 17, number 12, page 354:

     Finally, Munneke suggested that smaller communities like Akron are already susceptible to being “Wal-Marted” by any of the large firms in Cleveland or any number of national law firms who might come in and craft a nominal fee-sharing arrangement with local counsel under Rule 1.5(e).

   • 2006, Outlook, page 150:

     Small farms make it difficult for the flu to spread, unlike in America where poultry majors have Walmarted individual farmers out of business.

   • 2009, Charlotte Hinger, chapter 30, in Deadly Descent, Poisoned Pen Press, page 168:

     He wasn’t thinking, wasn’t competing. Walmarted into obscurity.

   • 2011 February 17, David Runk, “Bankruptcy worries Borders shoppers: Four Michigan stores to close, company says”, in The Times Herald, Port Huron, Mich., page 4A:

     “Nature is taking care of itself. They wiped out so many mom-and-pop independent bookstores,” he [John King] said. “They Walmarted the cities and towns, and now they’re getting what they deserve. I hate to be that forward, but that’s the way I feel.”

   • 2013 July 5, “What they said - quotes from Chu, Morgenstern”, in SFGate‎^[1]:

     "Basically I've been Walmarted out of the business."

   • 2014 July 27, Ed Perkins, “Transparent Airfares Act expected to come up for vote in U.S. House”, in Orlando Sentinel, page J9:

     Norwegian is recruiting U.S. flight crews, and the giant lines have already Walmarted much of their offshore maintenance, reservations services, and such.

   • 2015, John O’Kane, A People’s Manifesto, Society for Popular Democracy Books, page 24:

     How liberating might this notion be today if the playing field weren’t Walmarted with too-big-to-fail megacorporations and oligopolies.

   • 2021 February 19, Brian Truitt, “Pike goes to extremes in dark ‘I Care a Lot’”, in USA Today, page 5B:

     A piece of backstory that got nixed from the final “I Care a Lot” script explained that Marla actually owned a boutique vape store and was “Walmarted out of business,” leading her to “play dirty like everybody else,” [Rosamund] Pike says.

Related terms

• Mallwart
• Walmarter
• Walmarting
• Walmartization

See also

• Tescoization