department store
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of department store
An Americanism dating back to 1885–90
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Berkshire Hathaway’s Warren Buffett and the late Vice Chairman Charlie Munger famously regretted their decision to buy a department store.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 4, 2026
High-end department store Fortnum & Mason is selling its own a short walk away.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 1, 2026
Grilled "kabayaki" using fully farmed eel will be sold from May 29 at a department store in Tokyo and several other outlets including online shops in Japan.
From Barron's • May 20, 2026
One department store worker told the BBC that shoppers were being deterred by children "coming in en masse, creating noise and chaos".
From BBC • May 7, 2026
But most of the people gathered in the meadow wore everyday clothes: faded work shirts or T-shirts and chinos, floral-print dresses that could be found on the discount racks of any department store.
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
