Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

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.


department store British  

noun

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

"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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

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.

See Examples For:

At 90,000 square feet, the proposed complex would be larger than an average Kohl’s department store, which the company says occupies roughly 80,000 square feet.

From Salon Aug. 9, 2026

Dozens more who worked at his luxury department store have filed for compensation under a redress scheme set up after a 2024 BBC documentary revealed the scale of his alleged offences.

From Barron's Aug. 2, 2026

One proposed explanation pointed to large industrial fans operating inside a department store warehouse.

From Science Daily Jul. 19, 2026

Hudson department store in downtown Detroit and other Hudson stores.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 2, 2026

She folded his sweaters with an expertise she had learned from her job in a department store.

From "Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Dictionary.com's Learning Companion

Go beyond just looking up words.
Remember them forever with VocabTrainer.

Start training