Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

general store

American  

noun

  1. a store, usually in a rural area, that sells a wide variety of merchandise, as clothing, food, or hardware, but is not divided into departments.

Etymology

Origin of general store

An Americanism dating back to 1825–35

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.

At the time, Lincoln had been a licensed attorney for 1½ years; he still shared cramped bachelor lodgings above a general store.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 7, 2025

Neevee, who runs a general store, is tough but likable, and an excellent, playful grandmother to Bun.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2025

“I am not feeling well because of the stifling heat, but I have to work,” said Ghulam Farid, who owns a small general store in Sheikhupra, a city in Punjab province.

From Seattle Times • May 21, 2024

Then one day a fortunetelling machine called the Morpho appears in the general store, promising to reveal one’s true potential.

From New York Times • May 2, 2024

Empty shelves greeted Ridgeway and Boseman in the general store.

From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead

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.