variants
also five-and-dime
as in variety store
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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
-
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
-
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
-
Originally a mansion built in 1881, the 14-room boutique hotel feels like staying at your eccentric friend’s country home in the best way; splashy decor and mixed prints characterize the aesthetic, and many of the pieces are handmade or one-of-a-kind.—
Elly Leavitt,
Vogue,
12 Sep. 2025
-
From boutique-only editions to discontinued grails, the watches on offer reflect knowledge and intent.—
Connie Etemadi,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Throughout his unfortunately short life, Charlie committed himself unreservedly to reasoned debate, rational discourse, and the polite exchange of opinion.—
Newsweek Contributors,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Sep. 2025
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Most are unaware of any campus programs designed to foster such exchanges.—
Sarah Hernholm,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The food mart scored 12 on the June 17 follow-up inspection.—
Harriet Ramos,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
28 June 2025
-
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
-
Indie Store Album Sales ranks the top-selling albums of the week at independent and small chain stores.—
Keith Caulfield,
Billboard,
7 July 2025
-
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
-
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
-
Mattresses and Box Springs Mattresses are a common source of thrift shop confusion.—
Nafeesah Allen,
Better Homes & Gardens,
12 Sep. 2025
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Buy used: Consignment stores and thrift shops are great places to find low-cost clothing.—
Laura Daniella Sepulveda,
AZCentral.com,
7 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The store was an immediate hit, a new idea in retail that combined some of the best department store features – including strong customer experience – with the prices of a discounter.—
Dan Gingiss,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
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Born in Piacenza in 1934, Armani abandoned medical school in 1954 to work at Milan’s La Rinascente department store.—
Elizabeth Castaldo Lundén,
The Conversation,
11 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Five-and-ten.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/five-and-ten. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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