department store

noun

Synonyms of department storenext
: a store having separate sections for a wide variety of goods

Examples of department store in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
One member of the audience asked whether the mall’s new tenants would include luxury department stores and boutiques. — Susannah Bryan, Sun Sentinel, 14 Nov. 2026 He was born in New York City in the early nineteen-twenties; his father, a Russian Jewish dress-shop owner, lost his department store, Avedon’s Fifth Avenue, after the crash. — Naomi Fry, New Yorker, 14 Nov. 2026 Printemps operates 19 department stores, including two international locations in Doha, Qatar, and New York City. — Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 12 Nov. 2026 Does anyone here still go to a department store on Black Friday? — Zach Dean Outkick, FOXNews.com, 11 Nov. 2026 See All Example Sentences for department store

Word History

First Known Use

1887, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of department store was in 1887

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Department store.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/department%20store. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

Kids Definition

department store

noun
: a store having separate sections for a wide variety of goods

More from Merriam-Webster on department store

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster