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
-
Because of this proliferation of both luxury and boutique hotels, NoMad has a robust dining and nightlife scene.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 Mar. 2026
-
The film was released theatrically by indie distributor Rich Spirit through boutique screenings in select cities.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
With messenger Mercury trining Jupiter, the Greater Benefic — with Mercury in your communication quadrant and Jupiter in your amicable 7th house — social exchanges carry extra goodwill.—
Tarot.com,
The Orlando Sentinel,
9 Mar. 2026
-
The Rams are sending a first-round pick — the 29th overall — and fifth- and sixth-round picks in this year’s draft and a 2027 seventh-round pick to the Chiefs in exchange for McDuffie.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
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
-
An interactive mineral mart highlighting hidden minerals in everyday products.—
Christa Swanson,
CBS News,
12 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
-
Pieces of the older buildings that most recently housed a Salvation Army thrift shop are on view throughout the store.—
Edward Keegan,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The mall has been under pressure, and Dillard’s, the large national department store, recently closed its site there.—
Brian Womack,
Dallas Morning News,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Hevia Baillères’ family owns multiple companies, including insurance company Grupo Nacional Provincial, pension fund manager Grupo Profuturo, and department store chain Palacio de Hierro.—
Jami Ganz,
New York Daily News,
5 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Five-and-ten.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/five-and-ten. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
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