convenience store

American  

noun

convenience stores plural

1. a retail store that carries a limited selection of basic items, as packaged foods and drugstore items, and is open long hours for the convenience of shoppers.

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convenience store British  

noun

1. a shop that has long opening hours, caters to local tastes, and is conveniently situated

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• convenience stores
  plural

Etymology

Origin of convenience store

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

That convenience store on the side of the road now has gas pumps, charging stations and mahi mahi tacos.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 6, 2026

In July 2018, 28-year-old Markeis McGlockton took his young son into a Clearwater, Florida, convenience store to purchase snacks.

From Slate • Jun. 4, 2026

He is known as the "father of the convenience store" in Japan.

From Barron's • May 25, 2026

In the shopping precinct, the glass door of the convenience store is shattered.

From BBC • May 20, 2026

Outside, I am within a few yards of a liquor store, a bar that advertises “free beer tomorrow,” a convenience store, and a Burger King—but no supermarket or, alas, Laundromat.

From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich