variants
also five-and-dime
as in variety store
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Recent Examples of five-and-ten
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
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
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Discount stores remain the most popular type of retailer for 62 percent of back-to-school shoppers, followed by Amazon, 56 percent, and dollar and variety stores, 42 percent.—
David Moin,
Footwear News,
23 July 2025
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My favorite stop on the tour was a variety store called Lee Avenue Photo—specifically, the toy section.—
Patricia Marx,
New Yorker,
5 May 2025
Noun
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The county is filled with airy upscale restaurants and boutiques.—
David Mark,
The Washington Examiner,
5 Sep. 2025
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Neville said he's noticed many boutique and family-run hotels, especially in high-demand spots like Dubrovnik, Prague, and Santorini, booking out earlier than ever, requiring full deposits up front, and enforcing strict cancellation policies.—
Christopher Elliott,
USA Today,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The Department of Justice has quietly walked back aggressive prosecutions, signalling that builders of non-custodial protocols aren’t the same as operators of centralized exchanges.—
Sean Lee,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
-
During the trial, after Cardi took the stand to deliver her testimony, several of her impassioned exchanges with the plaintiff's lawyer, Ron Rosen Janfaza, went viral due to her unfiltered, expletive-laced responses and animated expressions, including eye rolls and shrugs.—
Charna Flam,
People.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The food mart scored 12 on the June 17 follow-up inspection.—
Harriet Ramos,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
28 June 2025
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Maryland Lottery officials are also giving a $500 bonus to the Baltimore food mart that sold him the winning ticket.—
Jillian Frankel,
People.com,
9 June 2025
Noun
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Indie Store Album Sales ranks the top-selling albums of the week at independent and small chain stores.—
Keith Caulfield,
Billboard,
7 July 2025
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Check your local store Many local businesses and most national chain stores will remain open on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.—
John Tufts,
IndyStar,
2 July 2025
Noun
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Soon afterward, cheap paperback classics could be found everywhere from newsstands to dime stores.—
Jill Lepore,
New Yorker,
28 Apr. 2025
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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
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Driving by a thrift shop that looks intriguing on your way home from lunch?—
Caron Golden,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 July 2025
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Shimokitazawa is a grungy counter-culture neighborhood in western Tokyo famed for its live music scene and boho thrift shops.—
Jessica Kozuka,
Travel + Leisure,
6 July 2025
Noun
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Among others, in the period new stores opened in Hyundai Jungdong department store in South Korea; at the Paragon shopping center in Singapore; in Manila, Ibiza, and at the Venice Airport.—
Luisa Zargani,
Footwear News,
3 Sep. 2025
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The department store operator blew past earnings expectations from Wall Street for its second quarter, also raising its full-year outlook.—
Alex Harring,
CNBC,
3 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Five-and-ten.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/five-and-ten. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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