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.
Originally a huge music department store which sold records and instruments, the building had been slated for demolition after the store filed for insolvency in 1995.
From BBC • Jun. 10, 2026
Originally proposed by Beardsley Ruml, an executive at Macy’s department store who encouraged shoppers to buy on the installment plan, withholding was cleverly called “pay as you go.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026
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
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
Sometimes a white inspector came to our school and filled out a report sheet, or I might see white department store clerks when we bought various items.
From "While the World Watched: A Birmingham Bombing Survivor Comes of Age during the Civil Rights Movement" by Carolyn Maull McKinstry
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.
