corner store

American  

[kawr-ner stawr] / ˈkɔr nər ˈstɔr /

noun

corner stores plural

1. a small grocery or convenience store that stocks snacks, food staples, household and sanitary items, tobacco products, soft drinks and alcoholic beverages, and sometimes deli items, prepared foods, or a limited selection of fresh produce.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• corner stores
  plural

Etymology

Origin of corner store

First recorded in 1860–65

Example Sentences

"In my shop everybody talks about this all the time," said Maelie Misidor, who runs a small corner store in the neighborhood.

From Barron's • Jun. 18, 2026

I’d gone from someone who wanted to stay out all night to someone who couldn’t go to the corner store.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 25, 2026

Stambor said the decision to shut down Amazon Go locations — Amazon’s play on a corner store — as well as its Amazon Fresh grocery outlets wasn’t a surprise.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 27, 2026

Neighbours recognised the first-generation daughter of immigrant parents from El Salvador, as as a girl who would visit the corner store almost daily to buy candy and soda, according to the Los Angeles Times.

From BBC • Nov. 24, 2025

By the time we got there, the street was a river of people—an enormous group already!—winding back from the corner store.

From "All American Boys" by Jason Reynolds

Related Words

• convenience store
• supermarket