department store

American  

noun

department stores plural

1. a large retail store carrying a wide variety of merchandise and organized into various departments for sales and administrative purposes.

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department store British  

noun

1. a large shop divided into departments selling a great many kinds of goods

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• department stores
  plural

Etymology

Origin of department store

An Americanism dating back to 1885–90

Example Sentences

The old department store site was then bought by Criterion Capital, the development company headed up by billionaire Asif Aziz.

From BBC • Jul. 9, 2026

More concrete buildings came tumbling down during the magnitude 6.7 Northridge earthquake of 1994, causing the partial collapse of a Kaiser Permanente building and a Bullock’s department store.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 25, 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

High-end department store Fortnum & Mason is selling its own a short walk away.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 1, 2026

Three hours later, I walked into Maison Blanche’s department store on Canal Street.

From "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett

Related Words

• chain store
• discount store
• shop
• store