-ery

American

a suffix of nouns denoting occupation, business, calling or condition, place or establishment, goods or products, things collectively, qualities, actions, etc..

archery; bakery; cutlery; fishery; trickery; witchery.

-ery British

suffix

indicating a place of business or some other activity

bakery
brewery
refinery
indicating a class or collection of things

cutlery
greenery
indicating qualities or actions collectively

snobbery
trickery
indicating a practice or occupation

husbandry
indicating a state or condition

slavery

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of -ery

Middle English < Old French -erie, equivalent to -ier -er ² + -ie -y ³

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

-ery

The rest of us were very up and down, roller coast -ery.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 8, 2012

$Logo link to Seattle Times$

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023