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Synonyms

chain store

American  

noun

  1. one of a group of retail stores under the same ownership and selling similar merchandise.

chain store British  

noun

  1. Also called: multiple store.  one of several retail enterprises under the same ownership and management

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
chain store Cultural  

  1. One of many retail stores owned by a single corporation and offering similar products. Examples include Sears and Safeway.

Etymology

Origin of chain store

An Americanism dating back to 1905–10

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.

Wall Street was initially skeptical about the company’s hefty investments in supply chain, store remodels, technology, and employee pay in the mid-2010s.

From Barron's • Nov. 14, 2025

She reflects on all the varied, tender memories a dumpy local chain store can hold, and what was lost when her daughter’s Walgreens closed.

From Slate • Nov. 13, 2023

“Before, they’d come every day — there was a line to get a place on the couches,” said Valentina, a 59-year-old employee at a big-box chain store called Epicenter, with several branches around Kyiv.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 22, 2023

It includes workers at any chain store with more than 500 workers globally or less than 500 workers if workers do not get tips or healthcare benefits.

From Washington Times • Aug. 11, 2022

The neighborhood had not a single chain store in it.

From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro

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.