variants
also five-and-dime
as in variety store
Related Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of five-and-ten
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
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
-
Arc’teryx, the high-end outdoor apparel company based in Canada, has teamed up with Songtsam Resorts—which operates boutique hotels and retreats across Tibet and Yunnan, China— on a multi-year collection geared for the high-altitude and snow-capped conditions of the Himalayas.—
Lydia Price,
Travel + Leisure,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Lorin opened the boutique bakery, Cookie Rich, in 2020 but closed it in 2025.—
Matthew Odam,
Austin American Statesman,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The House Oversight Committee’s first hearing on the Minnesota fraud scandal was complete with lawmakers pointing fingers and exchanging barbs in heated exchanges.—
Lauren Green,
The Washington Examiner,
8 Jan. 2026
-
His son looks just as focused, especially after the two exchange words.—
Mirin Fader,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Treat your refrigerator like a mini mart.—
Kristin Corpuz,
Architectural Digest,
16 Jan. 2026
-
Amazon also launched bookstores, shopping mall kiosks, apparel stores, convenience marts and its own supermarket chain.—
Annie Palmer,
CNBC,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The honeycomb mirror over the fireplace was an inexpensive purchase from a chain store.—
Zoe Gowen,
Southern Living,
29 Dec. 2025
-
The new buildings were branded by banks, insurance companies, and chain stores.—
John Seabrook,
New Yorker,
1 Dec. 2025
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
-
Many industry insiders think the winners will be the other legacy players in the department store market, all of whom have upgraded their offerings in the last 12 to 24 months.—
James Manso,
Footwear News,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Louis Vuitton store window display in Mitsukoshi department store in Tokyo, Japan, on Friday, April 4, 2025.—
Elsa Ohlen,
CNBC,
27 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Five-and-ten.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/five-and-ten. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
