variants
also five-and-dime
as in variety store
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Recent Examples of five-and-ten
The blues world was changed forever on a sunny day around 1960 when a little boy walked into a five-and-dime in Los Angeles.
—
Rick Kogan, Chicago Tribune, 25 Feb. 2026
The 75-year-old daughter of Sam Walton, the late Walmart founder who turned a five-and-dime store in rural Arkansas into the world’s largest company by revenue, thinks the US is very close to that breaking point.
—Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 5 Sep. 2025
Founded by Frank Winfield Woolworth in New York in 1879, the retail chain sold staple items from pencils to baseballs at low prices, often just a nickel or a dime, a revolutionary concept that helped Woolworth’s expand to 5,500 five-and-dime stores nationwide at its peak.
—Katya Cengel, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 May 2025
Some say it was first made at a five-and-dime shop on the city’s downtown square in the 1950s.
—Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 14 May 2025
The location was formerly home to a dry cleaners in a building that also held a supermarket, a pharmacy and a five-and-dime store.
—Bud Kennedy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Feb. 2025
The casualties of the times — a historic farm property, an independent pharmacy, an old-school five-and-dime — got their due in her column.
—Linda Zavoral, The Mercury News, 21 Feb. 2025
Some considered Woolworth’s the first national discounter, but Woolworth’s is best classified as a Main Street, five-and-dime store, with counters for sandwiches and chocolate egg cremes.
—David Moin, WWD, 21 Oct. 2024
The retailer started as part of the five-and-dime variety chain that included the retail graveyard nameplates McCrory’s and Woolworth.
—Vicki M. Young, Sourcing Journal, 3 Sep. 2019
Rick Kogan, Chicago Tribune, 25 Feb. 2026
The 75-year-old daughter of Sam Walton, the late Walmart founder who turned a five-and-dime store in rural Arkansas into the world’s largest company by revenue, thinks the US is very close to that breaking point.
—Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 5 Sep. 2025
Founded by Frank Winfield Woolworth in New York in 1879, the retail chain sold staple items from pencils to baseballs at low prices, often just a nickel or a dime, a revolutionary concept that helped Woolworth’s expand to 5,500 five-and-dime stores nationwide at its peak.
—Katya Cengel, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 May 2025
Some say it was first made at a five-and-dime shop on the city’s downtown square in the 1950s.
—Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 14 May 2025
The location was formerly home to a dry cleaners in a building that also held a supermarket, a pharmacy and a five-and-dime store.
—Bud Kennedy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Feb. 2025
The casualties of the times — a historic farm property, an independent pharmacy, an old-school five-and-dime — got their due in her column.
—Linda Zavoral, The Mercury News, 21 Feb. 2025
Some considered Woolworth’s the first national discounter, but Woolworth’s is best classified as a Main Street, five-and-dime store, with counters for sandwiches and chocolate egg cremes.
—David Moin, WWD, 21 Oct. 2024
The retailer started as part of the five-and-dime variety chain that included the retail graveyard nameplates McCrory’s and Woolworth.
—Vicki M. Young, Sourcing Journal, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for five-and-ten
Noun
-
Signs posted at the discount variety store call attention to the penny shortage and urge customers to pay with exact change.—
Kenneth R. Gosselin,
Hartford Courant,
18 Jan. 2026
-
Follow one of the Hallmark Movie Itineraries from Visit Buffalo to have your own main character moments at spots like a nearly century-old variety store Vidler’s 5 & 10 and Elm Street Bakery.—
Beth Luberecki,
USA Today,
2 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
In April 2022, Sherpa Hospitality joined hands with the Shinta Mani hotel brand, helmed by the pioneering hotel architect Bill Bensley, to redevelop the property as a luxury boutique resort.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
27 Feb. 2026
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Available in blue, green, orange, red, yellow and the heritage brown colorway, the designs will be sold exclusively at Moynat’s Paris boutiques on Rue Saint-Honoré and Avenue Montaigne boutiques as well as its outpost in Le Bon Marché.—
Lily Templeton,
Footwear News,
27 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Global exchanges such as the London Stock Exchange are actively positioning to attract high-growth African listings.—
Maurizio Caio,
semafor.com,
2 Mar. 2026
-
Even the very premise of the show Portobello reflects the transactional, exchange-and-mart nature of Italy’s legal system at the time, which now seems as theatrical and performative as its World Cup soccer team.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
1 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
An interactive mineral mart highlighting hidden minerals in everyday products.—
Christa Swanson,
CBS News,
12 Feb. 2026
-
While the food mart passed a follow-up inspection some dead roaches were seen on the floor behind equipment.—
Shambhavi Rimal,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
3 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
There are no big chain stores —aside from a lone Starbucks—and the community is deeply engaged, with roots that often stretch back generations.—
Denny Lee,
Travel + Leisure,
16 Feb. 2026
-
In the past, Starbucks has distinguished itself from other chain stores by offering benefits atypical for hourly workers, including health benefits for part-time employees and free college tuition via a partnership with Arizona State University.—
Jake Angelo,
Fortune,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Soon afterward, cheap paperback classics could be found everywhere from newsstands to dime stores.—
Jill Lepore,
New Yorker,
28 Apr. 2025
-
Salem, circa 1955: Before the opening of Walmart, many small-town main streets were home to a Ben Franklin dime store, one of which was under the franchise that gave Sam Walton his start in Newport, 1945.—
Ray Hanley,
arkansasonline.com,
4 Oct. 2024
Noun
-
Sometimes, car seats and strollers are recycled at recycling centers—but not every thrift shop or Goodwill will do this on your behalf.—
Michelle Mastro,
The Spruce,
25 Jan. 2026
-
One of Smith’s paintings, featuring two jazz musicians, was purchased by Wurth and now hangs in the Troost39 thrift shop.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
23 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
There’s something creepy about department store mannequins.—
Kelli Skye Fadroski,
Oc Register,
25 Feb. 2026
-
Dillard's — Shares fell 7% after the department store posted weaker-than-expected revenue in the holiday quarter.—
Sarah Min,Christina Cheddar Berk,
CNBC,
24 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Five-and-ten.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/five-and-ten. Accessed 3 Mar. 2026.
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