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
-
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
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For a Southern Vermont getaway filled with roaring fireplaces in a quaint boutique property, head to The Hermitage Inn.—
Lydia Price,
Travel + Leisure,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Kim Kardashian’s clothing boutique Skims opened a two-level flagship store Friday at the corner of Rush and Oak streets in Chicago’s Gold Coast neighborhood, bolstering an already-strong retail district.—
Brian J. Rogal,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Porziņģis, who was acquired just before Thursday’s deadline from the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield, has played in just 59 games over the last two seasons because of various health issues.—
Nick Friedell,
New York Times,
8 Feb. 2026
-
First, the goal of leading an economically secure life in exchange for hard work has become more elusive.—
Mark Robert Rank,
Fortune,
8 Feb. 2026
Noun
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And next January, the mart will be relocating some of the design firms currently on the ninth floor to create a new home for temporary booths on that floor for the future.—
Jean E. Palmieri,
Footwear News,
27 Jan. 2026
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Treat your refrigerator like a mini mart.—
Kristin Corpuz,
Architectural Digest,
16 Jan. 2026
Noun
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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
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The honeycomb mirror over the fireplace was an inexpensive purchase from a chain store.—
Zoe Gowen,
Southern Living,
29 Dec. 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
-
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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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
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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
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For an adolescent Christy Turlington growing up in Northern California in the 1980s, the cosmetics section in a department store was a place of wonder.—
Kara Jillian Brown,
InStyle,
4 Feb. 2026
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Broke, pregnant and at her wit’s end, Margo (Elle Fanning) decides to lie down on the floor of a department store’s baby section.—
Rick Porter,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Five-and-ten.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/five-and-ten. Accessed 10 Feb. 2026.
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