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
He claims to have found a copy of “Lunch on a Beam,” also known as “Lunch Atop a Skyscraper,” at an Austrian department store in 1989 and recognized it from an old family album.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026
Macy’s faces declining department store views, but Bloomingdale’s comparable sales increased 7% last year.
From Barron's • May 18, 2026
It was also the nickname for a department store, the Grands Magasins du Louvre.
From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day
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.
